The Indian snooker team of Pankaj Advani and Manan Chandra played a masterful game of snooker to win the inaugural IBSF Snooker Team World Cup in a jampacked Qatar Federation Snooker Hall. They conquered the Pakistan duo of Muhammad Asif and Babar Masih by 3-2.
India were struggling in the initial two frames and were in deep trouble at 0-30 down in the third frame. But Manan Chandra staged a remarkable recovery with a well-crafted 39 break. Then came Advani with a classy clearance of the final colours. In the fourth frame too, Advani showed his class by clearing the table with a 69 break. This leveled the score with both the teams taking two frames each.
In the decider, Chandra only needed the green to be in the safe zone leaving his opponent requiring snookers. But with a long pot on the brown, the humbled Pakistani conceded the frame and match.
This event emerged as one of the best tournament in the region with active participation from different nations.After the match, Advani said, “Manan played exceptional snooker especially in the crucial deciders of the semifinal and final, when it mattered most. I’m really happy for him to win his first world title. Though it’s a short format and you forced to play a little tactical but you still enjoy good conditions when you get them.”
