Kolkata: The national billiards title is nothing new for Sourav Kothari. But his fourth such crown will always remain his most emotional one. The New Year did not begin well for Sourav who lost his father and former World billiards champion Manoj Kothari on Jan 5. It happened so suddenly that it was difficult for Sourav to get over that. "Losing your father is hard for everyone, but for me it was not just a father-son relationship, but baba (father) was everything for me," he told TOI.
"Believe me I didn't even send my entry for this event. I am thankful to my family, friends and officials of the Billiards and Snooker Federation of India (BSFI) who pushed me to take part. The organisers even tweaked the schedule to accommodate me as I reached on the day of the tournament," Sourav stated about his last moment decision.
He made the quarterfinals in snooker and then went on to win the billiards title. "I never expected this title given the mental state that I was in," he said. The World billiards champion felt alone during the tournament with a number less to speak. "Of course I talked to my mother but I missed those post-match calls with baba which I used to do after every game. This time I sat alone in my room," he stated.
But Sourav felt his father's presence every time he took to the table. "I genuinely felt baba was standing right next to my table as without him, I couldn't have hit three back-to-back 140-point breaks in the final. I will not be able to explain how I felt, but I just broke down on the table after the win," he said. As a mark of respect, the organisers flashed Manoj's pictures on the back screen during the prize distribution ceremony. "I felt like baba was looking at me as I lifted the trophy. This one for you baba," he concluded.