It was only towards the fag end of the season that India could make their presence felt.

And they did in style! Like last year, it was left to Pankaj Advani, and Rupesh Shah to put India on top, clinching both the World Billiards titles — time format and the points format — on offer. But before the two could make it an all-Indian show in the world bash in Singapore, there was nothing in it for the world beaters.

The Asian Billiards event in Doha was a disaster. Having gone in as the favourites, Advani, a former champion, and Rupesh were all at sea. Predictably, the two crashed out early from the tournament. Singapore emerged as a new force in billiards in the continent. Englishman Peter Gilchrist, now a Singapore citizen, emerged victorious.
Following the Asian success, Gilchrist was the odds-on favourite to add the World title later in the year. But the Indians, finally, got into the party. Rupesh first clinched the points-format title against all odds. Advani, the reigning champion in both formats, fell early to U Kyaw Oo in the slam-bang version. The string of failures, starting with the Nationals at his home turf where he returned empty-handed, the Doha failure and the early ouster in the points-format put immense pressure on the 22-year-old. But the Bangalore ace put everything behind him and came up with a stunning to show to retain his World title and prove who the master of the green baize was.

The Indians did nothing special in the Asian and the World snooker championships. Advani, who recaptured his form, ushered in the New Year with a double in the National championships at Hyderabad early this week. Despite lack of match practice in snooker, the former champion outclassed the field in stunning fashion.