Cue Sports | Pankaj Advani blazes a trail in pool too

Bengaluru: When organisers of the 9-ball pool National Championships in Ludhiana were going through the entry list last month, they must have rubbed their eyes in disbelief at seeing Pankaj Advani’s name.

Throughout a glittering career ​where he has won over 28 world titles in both billiards and snooker and reigned supreme in both disciplines at the national level with a cupboard full of trophies at the junior and senior level, the Bengalurean had steadfastly stayed away from pool. He’s even said multiple times that “billiards is my wife and snooker a mistress” and has remained committed only to those two.

Well, after 25 years of playing the sport at the highest level, Advani felt like the time was ripe for some indulgences. Despite the world championships in billiards around the corner, the Padma Bhushan and Khel Ratna winner opted to enroll himself for the 9-ball pool Nationals.

“Honestly, I don't even have a very clear answer to this because pool was never even, until two weeks ago, it was never on the cards for me,” Advani told DH. “I always knew that pool is probably one of the most exciting versions of cue sport because of its fast pace and unpredictability, the twists and turns it brings in terms of spectator engagement.

“I think it's a sport that everybody plays and understands. Among all the cue sports, it's the easiest to play and easiest to understand. So I thought, you know, why not play. I was just going to try my hand at it with absolutely no expectation of doing anything of going far in the national championships.”

A master at whatever he attempts, Advani blazed a trail in his maiden foray into pool, annexing both the 9-ball and 10-ball titles to become just the second cueist after Alok Kumar to complete a Grand Slam of all national titles. While in 9-ball final he outplayed Nitin Sharma of Chandigarh 11-6, in the 10-ball title clash, he outlasted Railways’ Pushpender Singh 11-9 in a cracking game where fortunes swung back and forth until the end.

“The first one, two matches were a bit of a struggle, you know, still picking up the game and learning. And then suddenly there was a switch, I think, after three days, and I started playing at a very different level where I felt like, 'okay, now I actually have a chance to go deep in the tournament',” said Advani.

“I honestly can't put it into words. It's unbelievable, it's like a dream. I'm still going through a fairytale run. I thought I would complete it by winning the 9-ball first. And then actually, I was not even playing the 10-ball national championships.

“And as an afterthought, I said, since I'm doing well in the 9-ball -- and I didn't even win the 9-ball at that time -- I committed to playing the 10-ball. If somebody had said that you'd reach the top eight or top four, I think I would have taken that, but to win both titles back to back and do a double in pool for the first time, on debut, is unbelievable. It's still yet to sink in.”

So​, having cracked the pool code, does Advani fancy his chances more in that discipline now? “I don't have the answer to that right now, because I just want to enjoy my two victories. But I definitely will give it a thought. I don't know how much of pool I'll be able to play.

“I would definitely love to give it a try in a couple of the big events in the Middle ​E​ast. Of course, the level is definitely higher internationally. We have some legends of the game. I'm open to trying. I don't know how much of my time I'll be able to give to pool though,” Advani concluded.

The next challenge for Advani is the IBSF World Billiards Championships in Carlow, Ireland from April 24-29.