Pankaj Advani gearing up World Snooker Championship next month

By Vivek Prabhakar Singh
New Delhi [India], December 16 (ANI): Billiards and snooker player Pankaj Advani is all set to represent India in the World Snooker Championship 2022 starting from January 19. With so many breaks and lack of championships due to the corona pandemic, the 23-time World title winner is looking forward to yet another world title.
“Always excited to be playing in big events that is what we work for and that is what I have worked for all my life. So, you know that the fact that I am going back to Doha. I have had many trips and successful outings over there and just a month away. I am really excited to be playing in yet another championship in which I have qualified to represent India.” said Pankaj Advani while speaking to ANI.
The two-time Asian Games gold medallist is not looking to leave any stone unturned as his hunger for yet another world title refuses to die down. He is also aware that as his age is passing his competition is increasing.
“It is still quite a bit of travelling. I am in Bhopal right now and then I head back to Bangalore after a week when Christmas and New year are there. I will obviously start my practice at the end of December and right now I am in Bhopal playing a tournament but January will be the event when I will push harder. Concentrate on my fitness also a little bit more as I am 36 now. I am not so young player around. There are a lot more young players who are knocking on the doors and making it difficult for us, for seasoned campaigners like me to go out there and win. So, it will be interesting to see how the tournament unfolds. ” explained Pankaj Advani to ANI.
In sports, one has to travel a lot in order to play international tournaments but due to Covid lockdown a lot of tournaments got cancelled and players also could not travel due to restrictions hampering the quality of the sport.
“The quality of the game has definitely gone down a bit. It is the same with everybody because of the lack of competitive play and the kind of stardom stopped and the kind of gaps we had, our training and events as well but I am happy that the calendar is coming back to normal and in the next six months there will be a lot of events looking forward to. So, at the start of Covid when the lockdown happened it was over in 2-3 months. But after the second lockdown, it became worrying for athletes and people from different professions whether we would actually get back to some sense of normalcy and now it seems like things are back to a little better stage of course. This Omicron has come. We don’t know what is in store for us. We are trying our best and as athletes, we are we never give up whether it is our game or even outside of our fields.” Pankaj Advani said.
At the age of 36 and after playing the game for so many years and winning numerous world titles, the love and passion for the game still keep Pankaj going and the upcoming World Snooker Championship 2022 is one such tournament he is looking forward to.
“I love playing the game. I love representing my country and winning for my country. So, all these years when I started playing the game but sometimes when I face a lot of pressure and face pressure of the fans or people or even myself. I just ask myself or tell myself what am I doing this for really.

l enjoy playing the game and if I can do something for the country then it is a bonus. The fact that we had our international events in September in Doha after a gap of almost two years. It makes me grateful that I have the opportunity to still go out there and do well for our country.” told Pankaj Advani to ANI.
The 23-time world title winner Advani recently faced a shock loss in the National Billiards and Snooker Championship at the hands of Shivam Arora. This defeat has come as a wake-up call for the Advani ahead of World Snooker Championship 2022.
“Absolutely, I think it definitely hurts. It is definitely disappointing when you perform really well with the tournament but sometimes you have to really take your hat off and say well played to your opponent. In this case, I was against a friend of mine and a dear friend Shivam Arora but it is good as it is a reality check. The flaws are a little more exposed. It gives direction on how to prepare for your next event and come back stronger. It is a kind of a wake-up call really and I have always taken losses that way and hopefully this time also it will be no different.” told Pankaj Advani to ANI.
India has a very rich history in Cue sports as they have produced some legends like Wilson Jones, Michael Ferreira, Geet Sethi etc and according to Advani, the next generation is also coming up.
“There are a lot of youngsters Shrikrishna who is just about 20 years of age won the senior shorter format of Snooker International title. So, it is a good sign that the youngsters are picking up and knocking on the doors and in fact are going to take over in the next few years. So, just like how we watched the likes of Yasin Merchant, Geet Sethi, Michael Ferreira so many stalwarts of the game and got inspired by them and eventually took over. There is no dearth of talent in the younger generation is concerned. We have Kreishh Gurbaxani from Maharashtra, Sparsh, Dhwaj from Gujarat, Laxman Rawat. There are so many youngsters who are doing well now internationally also. It is a good sign and I just feel like we can have more tournaments, more coverage in terms of media then I think this game can be even bigger. ” said Pankaj Advani to ANI.
The Khel Ratna and Padma Bhushan awardee is now eyeing yet another feather to his long list of world titles. Despite 23 World titles in various disciplines, he is still hungry for more. (ANI)