Indore: Ketan Chawla's first World Team Snooker Championship concluded just one frame short of gold on Friday. The Indore cueist was part of the Indian team that secured silver in Guangdong, China, after a hard-fought 2-3 defeat to hosts China 'A' in Friday's final, marking a landmark week for Madhya Pradesh cue sports.
For Chawla, the tournament represented the biggest achievement of his career. After becoming the first male cueist from Madhya Pradesh to be selected for India's World Team Snooker Championship squad, the 33-year-old earned his maiden world championship medal and etched his name into the history books as the first male player from the state to stand on the podium at the prestigious event.
"This is my maiden World Team Snooker silver medal. I am really proud of myself and the team for securing a silver medal for the country," Chawla told TOI from China.
India's title hopes came down to the final rubber after both teams were locked at 2-2. Pankaj Advani gave India the lead by defeating Li Chengjie 54-19 in the opening frame. However, Aditya Mehta went down 34-66 to Xu Jiarui before the Indian pair of Advani and Mehta lost the doubles contest 0-79, allowing China to move ahead.
Advani once again showcased his class to level the tie, defeating Jiarui 82-4 with breaks of 36, 16 and 17. The championship then rested on Mehta's shoulders, but Chengjie prevailed 68-32 in the deciding frame to hand the hosts the title. Despite the disappointment of missing gold, India's campaign was a story of resilience. The team had suffered an early defeat to China 'B' in the group stage but bounced back strongly. Chawla made his tournament debut in the pre-quarterfinal against Mongolia, partnering Advani in the doubles encounter. Although the Indian pair lost 54-70, India sealed a 3-1 victory to advance.
The Indians later avenged their group-stage defeat by overcoming China 'B' in the quarterfinals before defeating defending champions Hong Kong China 3-1 in the semifinals to assure themselves of a medal.
"We had a shaky start at the beginning of the tournament by losing our first match against China 'B'. But then we changed our strategy, and it worked out well. We defeated the same team in the quarterfinals and entered the medal round," he added.
The Indore cueist said sharing a team with legends Pankaj Advani and Aditya Mehta proved to be an invaluable learning experience.
"I learned a lot from both my teammates, how to compose ourselves, tackle pressure and choose the right shots according to the situation," he said.
Chawla also thanked his family, coach, the state association, national federation and well-wishers for supporting him throughout his journey.
