Pankaj Advani is a performance machine to all intents and purposes. He just goes on and on winning one trophy after another. In a stupendous show on Tuesday in Doha, the 38-year-old Indian star won his 26th IBSF (the International Billiards and Snooker Federation) title after beating fellow countryman Sourav Kothari who had threatened his chances early on in the billiards long-format contest.
But even today when social media has taken over everyone’s life, many people have little idea as to who Advani is. In largely a cricket-crazy country, there is hardly any scope for other sports to catch the imagination of the public. Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma from the cricket world are household names but sportspersons from other sports don’t enjoy that kind of popularity. It’s true that things have changed a bit for the better in the last 10 years or so with India doing much better at the Olympics level but still there is plenty of room for improvement.
Let’s face it, despite winning a historic Olympic gold for India in javelin two years ago in Tokyo, Neeraj Chopra is not followed to the extent cricketers are followed. These athletes’ achievements are not in our consciousness for long, they fade to the size of a dot more often than not – in a manner of speaking.
Amid such apathy towards other sports, billiards and snooker in particular, Advani has held his own unperturbed, quietly accumulating laurels for India in the background. Since he claimed his first world title in 2003, India has won only 19 medals across five Olympic events. Out of those, two are gold medals. As far as cricket is concerned, there have been just three ICC triumphs for the Indian team during this period. In this context, Advani gains importance all the more. The number of his titles shows what kind of player and ambassador he has been for the country. What sets him apart is his continuous desire to excel at the top level. We have seen many talented athletes losing their appetite for success over time but that’s where champion players are different.
Consistency is what makes a player great. Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli, Pele, Tiger Woods, Novak Djokovic, Muhammad Ali, Jack Nicklaus and Roger Federer – to name but a few — are considered rare athletes because they have performed exceptionally well over a long period of time. Advani, who has won reputed awards like the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna and the Padma Bhushan, brought up the importance of being consistent following his victory on Tuesday. “I have won before so I know how it feels, but to repeat it year on year is what makes all those hours of work on skill, body and mind totally worth it. To me, consistency is the hallmark of success and continuing to bring home world titles for the country is what drives me the most,” the Prince of Pune said.
But don’t be mistaken. Advani’s journey hasn’t been a Utopian one. There have also been low points and crossroads in his career. It’s sort of unbelievable that there was a time when the two-time Asian Games gold medallist was planning to give up on his aspirations of playing snooker professionally. In 2012, he decided to give it one last shot and needless to say, he tasted considerable success. But despite trying his damnedest, he couldn’t continue in the professional snooker circuit for long and bid adieu to it two years later to focus more on billiards and his family.
Advani has won a whopping number of IBSF titles already and in this sport, players can play to a very advanced age. Fred Davis won the world professional billiards title at the age of 67 in 1980, which means the Indian star has plenty of time to further his legacy. He has been the flagbearer for billiards and snooker in India for the past two decades and deserves every accolade that he is receiving at present.