Doha: India, led by 21-time world champion Pankaj Advani and Laxman Rawat, fought back from the brink of defeat to beat Ireland 3-2 and give itself a chance of defending the IBSF Snooker World Cup title on Monday.
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India trailed 0-2 at one point.
Early in the tie, both Indian cueists lost their individual frames to the Irishmen. Staring at elimination, the Indian players bounced back strongly in the doubles to shift the momentum.
Pankaj went on to beat seasoned campaigner Brendan O’Donoghue in the fourth frame, setting up a tense decider for Laxman Rawat and Aaron Hill.
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In no time, Laxman found himself with a 30-point deficit as Hill drew first blood. But with some excellent safety play, Laxman forced his opponent to create an opening for him and the Indian crafted a handy 41 break. There on, Laxman never looked back.
The final will be played on Wednesday against Pakistan who beat Qatar 3-1 in the other semifinal.
