Snooker champ makes a splash in pool

"It was a grinding session as in space of three hours I had to play both the quarterfinal and semifinal. Once I was assured of the final, only then did I enjoy a break. But I had to recover fast because the final was scheduled only two hours later."

Last time when Talwar and Gulati met in Delhi, there were phases in which both players outplayed each other. If Talwar surged initially 4-1, he lost momentum to lend the advantage slip. Gulati used the opportunity to overtake him 7-4 but till date he is firm that luck favoured Talwar a great deal in 2010. "I remember after leading 7-4, I didn't get enough chances after that as he used to clear the rack with a perfect break. Further the balls were used to get placed really well which made things easy for him. But this time I was confident that I will win," Gulati explained. "I know how to control nerves and this is where I got the better of Talwar. Playing with him all these years has helped me analyse that once he starts playing poorly, it is difficult for him to come back," the cueist said.

Being a snooker player, playing pool is sometimes a hard nut to crack for Gulati. But with World Championships in February, he knew the importance of the pool nationals. Gulati stopped playing snooker and gave all his time to ironing out his flaws in pool. "The World Championships are a great opportunity. But with the Delhi state ranking tournament round the corner, I know snooker is the need of the hour. I generally don't mix up disciplines as it disturbs focus. So before every tournament I switch my mind and start playing that particular discipline," Gulati signed off.

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