Pankaj Advani: Every school, college should have a snooker table

A month back, Advani had voiced his displeasure over billiards and snooker not being included at the 36th National Games in Gujarat

India’s leading cueist Pankaj Advani, who won his 25th world title recently, after getting the better of compatriot Sourav Kothari 4-0 in the 150 up billiards final at the World Championships in Kuala Lumpur, believes cue sport needs more promotion at the grassroot level. “One or two tables should be placed in every school and college in the country. Only then can young children start playing the sport and get to know more about it. Only then will people start taking cue sports more seriously and not just consider it to be a leisure activity,” Advani told mid-day earlier this week.

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A month back, Advani had voiced his displeasure over billiards and snooker not being included at the 36th National Games in Gujarat. He had also written a letter to the sports ministry requesting them not to ignore cue sports as it will then deter youngsters from taking it up. “I can’t believe that a sport [snooker] which was invented in India itself way back in 1875 is not part of the [National] Games. The efforts put in by the federation [Billiards and Snooker Federation of India] are for everyone to see. Many youngsters will be motivated to take up cue sports if it were to be included in future editions,” said Advani, who was presented with the Ethics in Sports Award at the 6th edition of World Summit on Ethics & Leadership in sports in Bangalore on Friday. 

The three-year break between his last World Championship victory and this one due to the Covid-19 pandemic did not affect Advani’s preparations. “The 150 up format can be really tricky and unpredictable, but I had prepared well. It’s very different from a four or six-hour game. I have adapted quite well,” he said.

Advani, 37, who has spent almost two decades, excelling  on the green baize, is in no mood to stop in the near future. “I want to keep on playing, representing my country on the world stage and winning titles,. That’s my biggest motivation,” added Advani, who, for now is busy attending to phone calls, replying to congratulatory messages and attending media interactions as everyone around him continues to celebrate his world title defence. “I’m just overwhelmed by the reaction I have got this time around. Reactions from athletes across different sports, Robin Uthappa [cricket], Joshna Chinappa [squash], Sharmila Nicollet [golf], have been very heartening. They all are friends who have supported me throughout. When I started playing the sport, never did I imagine that I would win so many titles,” Advani signed off.

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