Pankaj Advani’s identify is synonymous with cue sports activities. File
Pankaj Advani is a reputation synonymous with cue sports activities. The 37-year-old has carried out the whole lot doable there is to attain in a glittering profession. He has bagged a whopping 25 world billiards and snooker titles, and he is in no temper to hold up his boots.
In an interview on Sunday, on the sidelines of the Syed Habib invitation snooker event right here, Pankaj confused that the need of the hour is to get a proper billiards and snooker league on the traces of Kabaddi league.
“We need to televise the sport, and the earlier the league begins, the better it is for the sport. It last happened in 2017. A short, crisp league like the prokabaddi league will be great. I am sure there will be sponsors,” he mentioned.
Asked if there have been any pressing reforms the sport wants, Pankaj mentioned: “[We need] more tournaments for the juniors, workshops for them at the National level. We need more academies used not just by members of social clubs, but by those who want to try their hand at the sport. We need to make the sport more accessible,” he remarked.
Pankaj praised the reigning World Under-21 snooker champion from Tamil Nadu Anupama Ramachandran. “She has grown leaps and bounds. I’ve never seen women play so positive and aggressive. She is like a breath of fresh air.”
Pankaj mentioned he’ll subsequent participate in the Asian group snooker & 6-red particular person championships, which start in Tehran on June 17. India, he mentioned, has fielded all the prime gamers. “It’s a short format, we don’t know how things will pan out,” Pankaj mentioned.
