Switch does it for Kamani

One of the fast rising woman cueists in the country, Amee Kamani has definitely found her calling in snooker. A national level table tennis player, she has taken to the green baize like a duck to water, realising her dreams.

“Thank god, I switched to snooker!” the diminutive 22-year-old gushed. “I used to play table tennis and have competed in about 20 national championships. However, I could never play an international event in table tennis. Thanks to snooker, I’m competing in my third international event now.”

Amee’s tryst with snooker started in 2010 when her friends in Indore suggested she try the game. A casual pool player, the southpaw gave the suggestion some serious thought and decided to take the plunge.

To her surprise, she started picking up the game very quickly, from where there was no turning back. She competed in her first national championships in 2011 where she fared decently and then hit the table hard for the next one year to sharpen her skills.

Training under seasoned coach Sanjay Sawant, she practiced for about four hours a day and all that effort bore dividends at the 2012 championships where she finished inside the top-16. In 2013 she was amongst the top-8 and at this year’s championship, she claimed a bronze medal.

At her maiden international event early this year, she paired up with Vidya Pillai to bag the team bronze at the IBSF 6-red World Snooker Championships and at the Australian Open, she went to claim a silver medal, highlighting her steady rise.

“She is a very promising talent,” said coach Sawant. “She will win a world title one day. Her game resembles that of a male pro in terms of cue ball positioning. I want her to play along with the men in the invitational meets as that will improve her game.”

Amee, who has made a positive start at this tournament, said her dream is to win a world title. “Winning a world title is my main goal. It all depends on hard work. When you play with international players, you understand what your drawbacks are. You can work on them and apply it on the table.

“If you do these things correctly, you can become world champion. There are no guarantees for becoming champ this year or next. It comes down to your own assessment when playing matches.”