Advani hopes to deliver at home

Every time there’s an international cue sports event, Pankaj Advani is automatically handed the task of leading the country’s hopes. And when his hometown Bengaluru hosts an event, the pressure and responsibility increase manifold.

There’s little doubt that the 31-year-old starts as one of the favourites in the IBSF World Billiards Championship set to kick off at his beloved Karnataka State Billiards Association on Monday. The defending long-format champion, Advani, despite playing plenty of snooker this season, felt nothing gives him more joy than playing and winning at a place where he honed his talent.

“KSBA is home for me. People really appreciate you here. This year I’ve been playing more of snooker at the top level than billiards. I’ve always confessed that billiards is my first love but the season just panned out like that. With the event being at home, there will be plenty of expectations. People would want you to go all the way.

“It’s something that I’ve gotten used to and I sincerely hope to deliver the goods. This has been a very relaxed season for me. Since I chose not to play professional snooker full time and skipped the Professional World Billiards Championship in October, I’m feeling very fresh. I feel like I have a lot of energy, the same energy one would feel at the start of the season. I hope the billiards here is fast and free-flowing like the way I want. I’m all geared up,” added the 15-time world champion.

While Advani may be feeling fresh, he’s not had much time to switch gears from snooker to billiards, having just returned from the IBSF World Snooker Championship where he claimed a bronze medal. Advani felt the transition won’t be that difficult.

“I’ve had just four days to prepare for this meet. While many choose to devote time to either snooker or billiards, I prefer to play both. I think both of them complement each other well. Billiards is a game of memories. It’s all about sequences. I hope to get my rhythm in the next couple of days,” he said.