Cue sports in India have enjoyed plenty of success in the last one year with some proven young players joining the old guards but one thing has remained a constant in the world of green baize — the relentless domination of Pankaj Advani. The legend of Advani continued to grow as he extended his rule in the IBSF World Billiards Championships by winning the coveted title for a 28th time. Advani was flanked by other stars of cue sports as the likes of Kamal Chawla, Brijesh Damani, Dhruv Sitwala and Anupama Ramachandran also went on to add to the success story.
Among the rising stars were Mumbai duo Kreishh Gurbaxani and Ishpreet Chadha, who both qualified to compete in the world pro circuit next year.
While Advani was able to win the World Billiards Championship title in a row when he defeated England’s Robert Hall in the final in Doha in November, he was not so lucky in the summit clash of the Asian Billiards Championships.
In the final of English Billiards, the Indian legend was beaten by compatriot Sitwala as fortunes swung from one side to another, with the latter eventually emerging the winner.
Perhaps Advani was not at his absolute best in the competition, having survived elimination from the group stage itself when he had to fight his way back into the game against Siddharth Parikh.
Advani rules the roost
However, it was Advani who remained the star of the sport not just in India but for the world as he continued to add further laurels to his decorated cap.
The win in the IBSF World Billiards Championship final was his seventh consecutive title win in the competition, which only helped Advani extend his domination further.
But much before that, Advani cantered to a title win in the NSCI Baulkline 3.0 All India Snooker Open, defeating Chadha 10-3 in the final.
Advani, representing ONGC, was also the winner of the Western India Billiards and Snooker Championship in August but it was one tough game for the star player against Kamal Chawla (Railways).
The contest went on for nearly seven hours at the Khar Gymkhana’s billiards hall here before Advani emerged victorious, sealing a 6-4 win.
In fact, it has been a memorable run for the Bengaluru-based Advani as far as playing in Mumbai is concerned, having won seven consecutive titles — four snooker and three billiards — in the last two years.
Sitwala, Ramachandran shine in Asian C’ships
Sitwala was in his prime form against Advani in the final of the Asian English Billiards Championship as he claimed the title for the third time in his career, having won the competition before in 2015 and 2016.
In the same competition, India’s Anupama Ramachandran was in her element as she defeated her opponent from Thailand, Panchaya Channoi, 3-1 in the summit clash to win the Asian women’s snooker trophy for her first international title.
Ramachandran ended the year on a high, being placed eighth in the women’s snooker rankings.
Chennai’s L Shruthi also added her name among the winners when she got the better of compatriot Keerath Bhandaal in the Women’s World Billiards Championship for the first time in her career.
Arriving in the competition as the lowest ranked among all seven players from five different countries, the teenaged Shruthi produced a fine performance to win five consecutive games, including the title win.
Medal haul for India in men’s 6-Red Snooker
Kamal Chawla led India’s medal haul in the IBSF World 6-Red Snooker Championship as he defeated Pakistan’s Asjad Iqbal in the final which was held in Mongolia, winning his first international title in the individual category.
Chawla’s feat aside, India had a successful outing in the competition given that they were able to add three more bronze medals through Malkeet Singh, Vidya Pillai and Keerthana Pandian.
Chadha, Gurbaxani to join world pro tour
Chadha and Gurbaxani ended the year with the assurance that they will be seen on the world pro tour in the 2025 season.
Gurbaxani achieved his feat when he got the better of his Pakistani opponent in the Asia-Oceania Q-School (Event-2) Professional Tour Qualifier Snooker event which was held in Thailand in June.
On the other hand, at the English Open in the UK, Chadha created ripples when he defeated the four-time world snooker champion Mark Selby in the quarterfinal to seal his place in the final four, and more importantly, join the world pro tour.
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