Forget cricket god Sachin Tendulkar, there’s a new bowler in India with darts superstar Nitin Kumar making a name for himself at the World Darts Championship.

Kumar made history on the Alexandra Palace stage when he defeated Dutchman Richard Veenstra 3-2 to set up an entertaining match with world number four Stephen Bunting to become the first Indian champion of the event.

The 40-year-old has lost all four of their previous first-round encounters, but his win puts him into the last 64 of the competition and a challenge to ‘The Bullet’ on Saturday.

Kumar, nicknamed “Royal Bengal”, was all smiles: “I have been playing football for 30 years and my dream has always been to become a world champion.

“My blood pressure is so high I’m going to have a heart attack. I love that.”

Kumar now hopes to inspire a generation after India’s historic victory: “I have opened the door to a billion people. I’m sorry, if eight of the world champions go on to do Bollywood music in ten years, don’t blame me, it’s happening!”

The Indian cult hero defeated Veenstra in a local pub where he kicked darts with his feet, but he didn’t stop there as he prepared to face Bunting, He survived a major scare and defeated Sebastian Bialecki.

Dubai is a hotbed of darts

“I played a lot of local tournaments in Dubai, where I worked, and I had a good average there, but no one saw that. Game practice affected me, but being on the World Championship stage is different. It’s different at Ally Pally, too.”

Thanks to the Luke Littler effect, Dubai has become a booming darts hub, with foreigners starting to take up the sport.

Kumar said. “Three or four days a week you’re playing darts. You’re supposed to be there working and saving money – but you can’t. You’re just playing darts all the time.

“There were a lot of foreigners, a lot of Asians, Filipinos, Scots and English, and a lot of great players. Former county players would come and mop the floor with me every weekend, so it was a lot of fun.”

Sky Sports Darts’ Laura Turner was impressed with the way Kumar kept his composure despite his Dutch opponent weighing five tonnes.

“It’s about the story that was created at Alexandra Palace and it’s definitely a story that will remain in our memories for quite some time,” she said.

“The one who impressed me the most was Nitin Kumar, who had only won one set before and it was on his fifth try last year.

“But this is the best version of Kumar I’ve ever seen on stage. He maintained a high standard, great finishing ability.

“He had a string of great performances against him, but the fact that he was able to keep his composure and get across the line made it all the more impressive.”

Kumar is keen to stay grounded and focus on improving his game ahead of his clash with two-time semi-finalist Bunting. “Lightning never strikes the same place twice,” he said. “I’ll take the positives, but I know my triple ball needs to be more consistent. That’s what I’m going to work on next time, no matter who I face.”

Bunting: I am the people’s champion

Despite Kumar’s outpouring of support, Bunting expects the majority of viewers to still side with him.

“I’m Stephen Bunting. I’m the people’s champion and no matter what happens, they’re going to go to Bunting’s spirit,” the St Helens hurler said.

“The crowds were incredible. I think I have almost 100,000 subscribers on my YouTube channel, but I’m just a regular guy. It’s nice to be able to relate to the crowd and give back to them and let them know I’m a regular guy.

“If that’s the case (and the crowd turns against me), I’ll have to deal with it. But to be honest, I can’t see that happening.

“No matter who I play, last year I played Luke Littler on this stage and the whole crowd was on my side. I believe I have the best fan base in darts.

“I have the best social media in darts, I have the best management in darts. I have the best family in darts. The only thing I’m missing is the World Championships and that’s coming this year.”

The only previous meeting between Bunting and Kumar was at the Bahrain Darts Masters in January this year, with Bunting winning the leg match 6-2 and saying he “liked Kumar a lot”.

“Nitin is a fantastic player. What he has done for Indian darts has been extraordinary. I have known him for several years and we played against each other in Bahrain. Fortunately, I was able to win that match,” Bunting said.

“But the World Championships are so different. I’m really looking forward to the competition. He has the support of the crowd in the first round and I’m sure the crowd will be excited when we play next week.”

talking about behind oherGlenn Durant said: “The impact it had on him and Indian darts was unbelievable. It was a brilliant moment.

“Bunting needs to show a little humility, but two knock-out walk-ons.”

Who will win the Paddy Power World Darts Championship? Until January 3, you can watch exclusive live coverage of every match on Sky Sports’ dedicated darts channel (Sky Channel 407 from December 10). Live stream darts and more top sports with NOW.