IBSF Snooker World Cup: Pankaj Advani, Laxman Rawat fight back from brink of defeat to beat Ireland 3-2, setup final with Pakistan

Doha: Led by 21-time world champion Pankaj Advani and Laxman Rawat, India fought back from the brink of defeat to beat Ireland 3-2 and give themselves a chance of defending the IBSF Snooker World Cup title here Monday. India trailed 0-2 at one point. [caption id=“attachment_509507” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of Pankaj Advani. AFP[/caption] 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. 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 Wednesday against Pakistan who overcame Qatar 3-1 in the other semifinal.