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slip away Sachin Tendulkar And Virat Kohlithere is a new one Indian Sports superstar in town.
really this could be one Little exaggeration but an intense feeling has arisen This month in Eli PalliIn which Nitin Kumar became the first Indian player to win the match World Darts Championship,
Kumar created history last weekend by defeating Richard Veenstra in a thrilling five-set match, sealing his place in round two by overcoming Veenstra’s five-ton checkout thanks to some brilliant finishing – hitting nine of his 12 shots at the double.
Now, the 40-year-old will face a glamor encounter against world No. 4 stephen bunting A place in the third round is at stake on Saturday evening.
Kumar is a 10/1 underdog, but Bunting can count himself somewhat lucky to still be in the tournament, having squandered a two-set lead over Sebastian Balecki in his opening encounter and needing a tiebreak to go up 3-2 in the decider. Here’s everything you need to know about the man nicknamed ‘The Royal Bengal’:
Who is Nitin Kumar?
Born on 14 November 1985 in his hometown Coimbatore, Chennai, Kumar started playing darts at the age of 10. It has been a hobby for him throughout his life, but he also represented India at the 2011 WDF World Cup before doing the same at the PDC World Cup of Darts in 2014 and 2015.
He qualified for the World Championship for the first time in 2019, where he lost 3–0 to Jeffrey de Zwaan and was whitewashed in the first round at the Ally Pally stage by Brendan Dolan in 2020 and Ricky Evans in 2022.
Last year, he won his first set at the World Championships for the fourth time at asking, but still lost 3–1 to Martin Lukeman, before surprising Veenstra 3–2 this time on the opening weekend.
He credits the Luke Little boom for increasing interest in darts in Dubai, where he lives, and helping him improve his level.
“I play a lot of local tournaments in Dubai, where I work, and my average there is very good, but no one sees it,” Kumar said. “Three or four days a week, you’re playing darts.
“You should go out there, work and save money – you can’t. You’re just playing darts all the time. Match practice has impressed me, but it’s different on the World Championship stage. It’s different in Ally Pally.”
Kumar’s walk-on song Mundian To Bach Ke By Punjabi MC and it fired up the Ally Palli crowd before the first round win. Bunting may have the best walk-ons in darts, so this evening’s clash should start in style.
What did he say after he beat Veenstra?
Kumar finally fulfilled a dream by winning on the Alli Palli stage and hopes he has inspired the potentially huge darting audience in India.
“I have been playing darts for about 30 years,” Kumar said. “The dream was always to become world champion.
“To give my all, something I’ve never done before at this level and in front of that kind of crowd, it was amazing.
“Hopefully this will open the doors to a billion players from India. In 10 years’ time, if you have eight people at the World Championship walking to Bollywood music or Punjabi music, don’t blame me. It’s happening!”
What does he think about facing Bunting?
Kumar didn’t want to get too ahead of himself after his win, but is relishing the opportunity to challenge one of the real contenders for the title in the second round.
“I’m going to take it one game at a time,” he insisted. “I don’t think the game I played against Richard is the best. I know I can play better.
“Lightning never strikes the same place twice. I’ll take the positives, but I know I need to be more consistent on my triples. That’s what I’ll work on next time.”
“I don’t know what’s going to happen, but it’s going to take 110 percent effort from me and I’m going to give it my all, and we’ll see what happens.”
What has Bunting said about Kumar?
The only previous meeting between Bunting and Kumar was at the Bahrain Darts Masters in January, which Bunting won 6–2 in the first leg.
The world number four says he “loves Kumar a lot” and added: “Nitin is a fantastic player. What he has done for Indian darts is extraordinary. I have known him for quite a few years, and we played each other in Bahrain. Luckily I was able to win that game.
“But the World Championship is very different. I’m really looking forward to playing. The crowd was in her favor in the first round, I’m sure when we play, the crowd will go bunting mental.”