How World Billiards Champion Sourav Kothari stunned 'beasts' like Causier and Advani in Ireland

First Post

02-05-2025

By winning the championship in Ireland, Sourav Kothari became only the third Indian to win both the IBSF and the WBL World Billiards titles. In an exclusive history, he talks about his rivalry with Pankaj Advani and how he scripted history. read more
The first time I met Sourav Kothari, quite a few years ago, I was very impressed with how down to earth he is, despite being a big name in the world of cue sports. When I spoke to him recently to talk about his incredible World Billiards Championship title in Carlow, Ireland, after he returned home to Kolkata, it was nice to know that he is still that humble gentleman I met many years ago, despite being crowned world champion again.
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Ask him if he played flawless billiards, especially in the semis and final of the recently concluded Championship and pat comes the reply – 'Definitely not'. That despite the fact that he had a 325 break, along with two other century breaks, against the prolific Pankaj Advani in the summit clash and led David Causier of England 600-35 at one stage in the semis. Sourav overcame the fiercely intimidating Causier in a repeat of the 2018 World Championship semis, before outplaying compatriot Pankaj Advani 725-480, to secure the title. With this win he also became just the third Indian to win both the IBSF and the WBL World Billiards titles.
One look at the field in this year's Championship was a reminder of just how difficult it must have been to clinch the title. Experts feel the competition was perhaps the stiffest in many years, with all the major players in the world, like David Causier, Rob Hall, Peter Gilchrist, Peter Sheehan playing, along with ace players from India like Sourav, Pankaj, Nalin Patel and other top-ranked players from Scotland and host country, Ireland.
Sourav is coached by his father, a legendary Indian cue sport athlete himself, Manoj Kothari, who won the Billiards World Championship thirty-five years ago – in 1990 in Bengaluru. As Sourav pointed out himself in an interview – 'We are the only father and son duo in any sport to be world champions in the modern era.'
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Needless to say, this one was an emotional title win for Sourav, who also had the highest break of the tournament – 490 vs another compatriot of his - Nalin Patel.
In a freewheeling chat, Sourav opened up about multiple things, including his experience of playing the World Championship this time, what made his confidence soar, the outstanding breaks which were his biggest weapons through the tournament, his relationship with his father who is also his coach, his relationship with Pankaj Advani, how difficult it is to win both the IBSF and WBL World Billiards, professional titles and much more.
This is part one of an exclusive interview with newly crowned IBSF World Billiards Champion, Sourav Kothari.
First-up — the extremely cliched question – but one that has to be asked, because I am curious about how you are feeling, about a week after your win — has it sunk in? And if yes, what does that sense of accomplishment and achievement mean to you, on a very personal level?
Kothari: Honestly, it hasn't sunk in. Primarily because, usually when I come back from a tournament, especially one that I have won, I like to see the videos of my performance. Sometimes at night, when I come back to my room, I like to watch these videos – just to get a sense of what I have done. I have not had a chance to do that yet. That's number one. Number two – if someone told me before the tournament that I would be beating the likes of David Causier and Pankaj Advani, the way I did, I wouldn't have believed them.
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I want to take you back to two of the key matches of the recently concluded tournament in Carlow – the semis and then the final. Let's go chronologically – first the semi-final. Beating David Causier, who you yourself described as 'a beast', after winning the title – Now, Causier, from what I checked, is not just a decade older than you, he is also incredibly accomplished, having won 8 world billiards titles in the long and short formats combined and a former world number 1 and also someone who can erase a significant lead within minutes. Talk to me a little bit about this experience – of playing someone like him in the semi-final of a World Championship…
Kothari: You can beat a player, but someone like Causier, who is regarded as a beast…The main weapon in his (David Causier's) arsenal is the speed at which he scores. If we take 6-7 minutes for a 100 break, Causier does that in 3 minutes. So, you could have a 500-point lead against someone like him, but that lead could be erased in a matter of 15 minutes, which for any other player might take an hour. He is so lethal. The two-and-a-half hour match that I played against him in the semi-finals (of the World Billiards Championship), after an hour and 15 minutes when we took the tea break, that time the score read 600-35. That is a sight that is rarely seen in world billiards, because Causier at 35 points after an hour and 15 minutes is an anomaly.
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I remember when I looked up at the scoreboard, and saw the points – Sourav Kothari - 600, David Causier – 35, I was a little baffled, wondering – 'how did I manage to do this?' Those two breaks that I made of 299 and 265, back-to-back, were incredible. I don't know how I managed to do that. There was a point where I couldn't even hear the referee call out the scores, as I was making the break. It happens sometimes – you are so involved in the game, in the stroke-making, you don't even hear a person standing right next to you, calling out the scores. Your mind, body and soul are all aligned so much to the task at hand. That one hour and 15-minute first session against Causier is all a blur to me. That tells me that I must have been in a state of mind, where I was oblivious to everything.
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World Billiards champion Sourav Kothari hails from Kolkata.
Alright, now for the big one – the final – up against Pankaj – highly decorated, your compatriot, someone whose game, I assume, you know inside out – both his strengths and weaknesses — you won 725 to his 480 in the final….
Kothari: Against Pankaj in the final, a 325-point break on the second or third visit to the table. What that does is, it breaks the back of your opponent. You can make the small contributions – 50 points, 100 points, a miss, but even before you settle into the match, you are down by 500 points. The way I managed to start against both these players, in the semis and the final, honestly that hasn't sunk in yet. These things don't happen very often. Even for players like Causier, you don't really make 300-plus breaks back-to-back in the first one hour of the match. I have to watch the videos, I have to see everything again to get a sense of what I did.
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So, you are only the third Indian to win both the IBSF and WBL World Billiards, professional titles. Rupesh Shah and Pankaj are the other Indians in this very exclusive club, which also says a lot about how difficult it is to win this double – considering how many ace cueists India has produced over the years…
Kothari: Yes. Going to the world professional championship and playing the likes of (Peter) Gilchrist, (David) Causier, Rob Hall, Peter Sheehan – these guys are lethal and they compete throughout the year. As we speak, they are already onto their next tournament. They play a big event every fortnight or every twenty days. We don't play so much billiards. We play more snooker, here in India, in the domestic circuit. Even internationally, we compete in many more snooker events than billiards events. So, it's incredible to have been able to have done this.
You spoke a bit about the execution – both against Causier in the semi-final and against Pankaj in the final. I want to talk to you a little bit about the mental preparation, especially against Pankaj. Would it be fair to say that your superb 4-2 win against Pankaj in the final of the National Billiards & Snooker Championship in Indore in January this year was something that you were drawing strength and inspiration from before the final?
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Kothari: Definitely. The win at the Nationals and also the way the win happened. I was 1-2 down and then won 4-2. When I was 3-2 up, in the 150-up game, Pankaj was at 147, needing just one stroke to force a decider and he missed a regulation pot. I remember, there were 300 people watching our game live – I have never seen such atmosphere. There were former players, fans. And when Pankaj missed the pot everybody went – 'oh'. I need 90 points at that time and I have come back and scored those 90 points under immense pressure. I draw inspiration from it. I draw strength from it. I definitely thought about this before my final against Pankaj – that I had been able to withstand such a top-class player and also managed to come back after being down to win the National title.
Your question is very good. I am sure it must have been on his mind too that just two months back he had lost to me in a final. Not that it has any negative impact on someone's game, but at the back of your mind you will have the fact that you are not playing against someone who is just going to give it to you on a platter. What happens is – when you beat top players – the likes of Sheehan, Gilchrist, Causier – the name itself becomes so intimidating that it can have an effect on the next opponent. I am sure the next time I play David Causier, he will remember the way I started against him (in the semi-finals), with a 600-point lead – so that also plays a role in keeping the players on their toes.
Before the world championship final, did you and Pankaj have any conversation?
Kothari: All the Indian players sit together at the breakfast table. We (Pankaj and Sourav) are in the same organisation – ONGC. So, sometimes you share a meal together. There was this one restaurant about an hour and a half away from Dublin, which we really liked. The food was good and they would prepare the food the way we would instruct them. We used to have dinners together. The night before the final, we had a meal together. Honestly, we don't talk much about the game because you are playing the next day and how much do you discuss the game anyway? After the match vs Causier, I was drained emotionally. I went and told Ashok Shandilya (Indian billiards player) that I can't go to the Indian restaurant because I can't move my limbs. I was so exhausted. So, I requested them to have the food packed for me and I would have it at the hotel.
But eventually I went, because the weather was so nice and I wanted some fresh air. But it's so exhausting. Pankaj and I don't have elaborate chats about our personal lives or the game, but when you are in a system – with other players, players from other countries, a manager – it's all bonhomie, honestly.
Both of you are proven champions with a large fan following and all athletes are competitive, regardless of whether they are playing a compatriot or someone from another country etc. How would you describe your professional relationship with Pankaj?
Kothari: We go back to 2002-2003. When I played my first National Championship, I have known him since then. We have grown up together, we have played so much against each other. I feel that when you are younger, when you are slightly more naïve, when you don't really know how professionalism works, how competitiveness works, we used to be mates and hang out and do things (together). But as you grow older and as the world around us changes also, there are so many things in our lives that we need to give attention to. There's a lot going on in everyone's lives you know. We like our own private spaces. So, it's no different with him than with any other player.
Of course, you do have people on the circuit who are closer to you than other people. But basically, you want (to have) focus on the task at hand. On top of that the matches – it's not easy – the schedule, it can be quite rigorous. You could be playing a match at 10am and then one at 6pm. So, your whole day revolves around planning what you are going to do to get the best result in the match, that you are in your prime in terms of focus and concentration. It's a nice, healthy, professional relationship (with Pankaj). It's not like we are foes.
Legendary Pankaj Advani has won a record 28 World Billiards titles. Image: Pankaj Advani on X
We are with the same company, so we travel a lot together. Pankaj and I are probably the only two players in cue sports who are playing both the games at the highest level. So, next we are going to play the World Snooker Championship – the main rounds. We are not going to have to play the qualifiers. You have a lot of top players from across the world who have to qualify from stage one to have to come to stage two. Because I am in the top 8 of the World Championship from last year in snooker, both of us are playing the main round. There are a lot of athletes who don't look eye to eye – it's definitely not like that. We have had our differences in the past about issues, but luckily, we have come back and spoken about them. It's not like it's just been buried. Like any other profession. Nobody wants to lose their peace of mind over trivial things. So, yes, we share a healthy, professional relationship.
For those who don't track cue sports regularly, can you talk to me about the rather large glasses which you wear while at the table. Are these special glasses? If yes, in what way?
Kothari: These are the glasses that I wear while I am playing. When you are playing snooker, you have to bend down and you have to look upwards – to look at the ball – so you need glasses such that the rim doesn't come in the line of sight. You will see anyone who wears glasses, wearing these big glasses (while playing). However, nowadays a lot of people get the lasik surgery done. A lot of the top players in India are going and getting their power removed. It's helped them also, tremendously. As for me – my doctor has told me – 'why do you unnecessarily want to do these things?' So I continue wearing my glasses and I am comfortable with them.
Let's go back to your recent big achievement and talk about what you felt were the big highlights of your game during this tournament – I was reading about how you were very proud of your breaks. You had the highest break of the tournament – 490 vs another compatriot of yours - Nalin Patel. Talk to me a little bit about again both the mental preparation and the execution, as far as these breaks were concerned…
Kothari: In a nutshell – I was not the best player in terms of form, when the tournament started. There was Causier, there was Gilchrist – they were making the big breaks. I am very critical about myself, so if I have made a 500 break also and you ask me – 'how was the game?' – I will probably give you a deadpan answer – 'yeah, it was alright'. I felt like I was playing okayish. But my dad told me – 'you are playing so well. Your rhythm is good.' There are some technical things that he has changed in my game, which have really benefitted me since the National Championship. The fact that he told me that my rhythm was great and that I was looking good at the table gave me a lot of confidence, especially because it came from somebody who is a very critical coach.
He (Sourav's father, Manoj Kothari - IBSF World Billiards Champion in 1990) is not a very easy-going coach. He is never happy. In fact, now after coming back also – I won the World Title and till now, I am not exaggerating – he has not discussed anything with me about the game, except the shots that I missed. I probably played like 800 good shots, but those 5-10 shots that I played wrong or didn't execute properly, that is what he is going to discuss with me. We are talking about a coach who is constantly trying to push you. So, for him to tell me – 'I like your flow, your rhythm is great, you are cueing well, what makes you think you are not playing well?' suddenly helped me to go from playing okayish in the group matches where I was not making the 900 points in one and a half hours, while some others were, to suddenly playing Nalin Patel after having spoken to dad and making a 490 break in flawless, top of the table play. That's where you score the maximum points in a billiards match – at the top of the table, where the red spot is (where the red ball is placed in English billiards).
Sourav Kothari scored 725 points to Pankaj Advani's 480 in the 2025 IBSF World Billiards final.
The conditions were challenging – brand new tables – it's not easy to play in the conditions we get, to be honest. The reason why some people stay at the top is because they adjust their game, instantly. When you have a brand-new cloth (on the table), the table behaves so differently than the tables on which you play in the club. Club tables are 4-5 months old. They don't have the kind of punch and spunk in the movement of the ball. These tables (at Championships) are unforgiving and suddenly I have gone and made a 490 (break). And I thought – 'wow, I am being able to control the ball beautifully. I am not coming out of top table and then with Causier – those two breaks – 300, 265 – big breaks. Then another 300-plus break with Pankaj (in the final) the moment we started. The key highlights – the 490 break against Nalin Patel which actually made me realise that I could make a 500-break in these conditions. Number 2 – the two back-to-back breaks against David Causier – that really instilled in me the faith that I could make a 300 and then a 300 again and then the third one against Pankaj. The key was the way I was starting off. If you are a sluggish starter with these players like Gilchrist, Causier, Sheehan, Pankaj – if you are a slow starter, you are gone. They will just maul you completely. So, I was doing to Causier what he has probably done to every other player in the world. And of course, my father instilling that confidence in me. These were the key highlights.
Would you say, technically, emotionally and in terms of focus – you were absolutely on top of your game at this world championship – or does Sourav Kothari have another gear – every athlete of course always strives to do better than their last performance – but what's your take on this?
Kothari: I am a little critical about myself, so I still feel that there is scope for improvement. I am of course very happy, but flawless? No definitely not. Honestly, I could have beaten Causier by 1000 points. I don't want to sound arrogant about it, but I know that when I was leading by 500-odd points, there were opportunities on the table that I missed and I could have capitalised on them and beaten him by 1000 points. I was 600 points up and the way I was going, I could have made a 300 break again. When you win against a top player with that margin, it stays in their mind for a long time and that helps you going forward. So, not flawless.