By Elliott West
“I am living a dream. Being away from the table for so long, these two back-to-back triumphs assure me that my hunger and competitive skills haven’t diminished”.
Pakaj Advani
Introduction
Pankaj Advani used to be part of the main snooker tour but decided to return to his native India to play billiards and snooker in his own backyard. A multiple winner of the IBSF title in both sports and a holder of two gold medals in the Asian Games, Pankaj set his stall out again earlier this week, entering and reaching the final of the IBSF 6-Red Snooker World Cup.
A Winning Streak
The 36-year-old, nicknamed ‘The Prince of India’, had travelled to Doha to take part in the tournament and on reaching the final, came up against Pakistan’s Babar Masih. Advani made a comfortable start against his opponent, taking the opening frame 43-13. However, Babar came back to win the second 38-14.
In the third frame, Pankaj made a foul but one that only he knew that he had committed. This led to him winning the third and fourth frames in quick succession. However the Pakistani cueist was in no mood to give up and from nowhere, constructed a fantastic 56 break to bring the two players closer together in their score lines.
Perhaps this rush was too late for Babar as Advani shifted his game into the next gear and took the next three frames to be one frame away from victory and in touching distance of his 24th world winner’s title and trophy. The match provided one last twist with the Pakistani summoning on his reserves and bringing the fight back into the match. A battle that rewarded him with winning the next three frames.
At 6-5, it was touch and go for Pankaj with his opponent plucking his touch out of nowhere. Advani had the most to lose if he lost this final and so he had to compile something special to become victorious. This came in the form of a 32 break, a classy one at that and finally dashed his opponent’s hopes once and for all.
This classic victory finished off his winning streak nicely with the Indian player having already won the Asian Snooker Championship just before this title, a formidable fortnight by this ambitious and skilful player. A run that caused him to make the following comment after his win:
“Very fortunate to win both as I am aware there is still a lot of work to put into my game once I return. Happy to return home tomorrow with two gold medals for my country.”
Pankaj Advani
Summary
Pankaj Advani is a player that has gone from strength to strength and has thrived as a player on home soil. A master of the green baize, this young Indian player can win at billiards and snooker, making him such a force to be reckoned with. Advani is on a roll and I wouldn’t be surprised if he adds a few more trophies to his silverware cabinet in the coming months.
