Emperor of the baize: Pankaj Advani

By Gaurav Kalra
Happy birthday Mom! Hope you like your present." If you answer to the name Pankaj Advani, birthday presents for your mother aren’t jewellery or the latest I phone- they are world championship trophies! On Wednesday, Advani decimated England's Robert Hall 1928-893 to win the time format title at the world billiards championship in Leeds. Last week, he had clinched the point format crown to complete the grand double of titles for an incredible third time.

"This is so special because it was won on my mother's birthday. She is my rock," he says. "I decided to score as much as possible on each visit to try and extend the advantage I had at the halfway mark. I spoke with my brother Shree in the interval and a couple of tips from him did the trick too." The twin triumphs in Leeds add luster to an already eye-popping string of achievements for the 29-year old from Bangalore.

"In the point format, you have to be alert from the word go while in the time format you need to pace yourself and score heavily. It’s a bit like T20 and Test cricket," he says.

"To achieve the double you have to be consistent throughout the event. It requires different sets of skills. I feel happy to have been able to adapt." According to nine-time world champion Geet Sethi, "To win two world titles in the space of a week is a phenomenal achievement. He is now by far the most successful Indian cueist ever." Three time World champion Michael Ferreira believes his "balance from the time he was a youngster" has been the key to success. "He has tremendous self-belief and is a very spiritual person. Perhaps this gives him a lot of inner strength. His discipline is very good."

Since winning his first national junior title at the age of 12 in 1997, Advani has been a trailblazer. Ferreira remembers him as a mischievous 10 year old who "imitated the way I played and walked." Today, he is the only player in history to have won both billiards and snooker IBSF world titles and the professional world billiards championships.

"Sport is not only about ability. It’s a combination of mental strength, calmness under pressure and knowing when to be aggressive or defensive. I’ve reached a stage where I’ve learnt how to assess a situation quickly and how to deal with it," says Advani. "Champions are made in the mind. A lot of people have the same skills," says Sethi.

"Pankaj has a stronger mind by a wide margin than the rest of the field and that makes him dominant." After toiling on the ultra-competitive professional snooker circuit in England with limited success over the last couple of years, Advani has decided to not to return.

"Considering I was a debutant, I thought Idid pretty well," he says. "But I was lonely and I missed billiards. I just want to represent India and win medals rather than play for myself."

Advani’s next challenge will come at the IBSF world snooker championships in his hometown next month. He is already in Sheffield "to get billiards out of my system and switch to snooker in order to prepare" for the marquee event.

"They are actually two different sports," says Sethi. "They are played on the same table, same kinds of balls and the same cue but the skill sets required are substantially different. It’s very hard juggling them and he’s done it with amazing success." So where does this staggering journey head to? According to Sethi "18 world titles is now a no-brainer" and 25 is not beyond Advani.

"Statistics and history do not go through my mind,” Advani insists. “I just want to evolve as an athlete and the sport is my medium to do that. I am enjoying the game more than I have ever done".

The author is a senior editor at ESPNCricinfo.com