Newly crowned world professional billiards champion Geet Sethi says the charm of playing in the Asian Games slated later this year has driven him back into the mainstream after a gap of eight years.
After pocketing honours galore in his glittering career, the 45-year-old veteran seemed to have faded into wilderness for the last few years but his strong comeback recently promises of more glory.
"I am slowly coming up as I have decided to play the Asian Games. I have won three titles in last eight months in India," said Sethi, who recently won his fifth world professional billiards title in Pontins, England.
Sethi's basket of titles and triumphs is already overflowing. He has won the IBSF World Billiards title thrice in his career besides winning the title of 1997 UK Professional Billiards champion. He was adjudged Billiards Players of the award by WPBSA in 1999.
The Ahmedabad-based player was at the peak of his career -- with a World Professional billiards title and Asian Games glory in his pocket -- in 1998 when he decided to explore other facets of life which resulted in a drop in his performance.
"My standard dropped after 1998 because I shifted my focus to other things in life. After playing for 32 years you start getting a bit pale and you feel like exploring other things also. It was a conscious decision.
"It is a natural process and I realised happiness through it," he said.
Sethi, who dominated the world for most part of the 1990s, said he did a lot of things during these eight years, including business and writing a book 'Success vs Joy' with one of his IIM alumni.
"I bought a company and sold it too. I wrote a book also, so there were many things I was involved in. I was not focussing on billiards and to perform at the highest level you have to single mindedly concentrate on your game," he said.
Asked how did he prepare for the comeback, Sethi said "sheer practice with regularity was the key".
"Everyday I practiced for 2-3 hours and I started gaining confidence. Most importantly, I keep my mobile switched off," said Sethi, who is also playing pool these days.
Sethi avenged his previous defeats by beating Lee Lagan in the final, defending champion Chris Shutt in the semi-final and David Casuier in the quarter-final.
Sethi, who first shot into the limelight by winning the World Amateur Billiards Championships in 1985 and 1987, has no qualms about the lack of media attention to the sport.
"Whenever we perform at the international level we have always got the required attention. I do not think the sport is overlooked," he said.
He said India has a rich tradition of the sport and that reflects in the achievements of the players.
"Recently, women's world billiards title was also won by an Indian. This is a reflection of the high class of billiards and snooker played in the country and its rich tradition," said the player who had returned with a break of 147 in snooker, the first amateur to complete an official maximum, in the National Snooker Championships in 1989 held in Guntur, Andhra Pradesh.
Sethi said rising star Pankaj Advani, who has won both the World Snooker and Billiards titles, is a brilliant young talent who had proven himself in both forms of the game.
"He has good years ahead. He will dominate in both the disciplines," he said, but refused to comment if he should concentrate on only one form.
"I won't comment on what he should do. But by my own experience of 35 years, one should concentrate on only one discipline," he said.
Asked how long he planned to be in the game, the legend said: "as long as my eyesight remains good and enthusiasm remains high. I can continue for 2-3 more years," he said.
In the 1992 World Professional Billiards Championship, Sethi, winner of India's highest sporting award -- the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna in 1992-1993, set a world record break of 1276 under the three-pot rule.