Such dominance and results, of course, come as fruits of resolved toil and dedication. Advani, who still goes to the gym three to four times a week, spends around three hours per day playing solo and honing his skill. In a life that is so shaped by and geared towards billiards and snooker, the personal and the professional cannot help but blend in. Reflecting on the lessons he has learnt, he says, “Patience and acceptance. These are the two things that I’ve learnt from the game, because in our sport, when you’re sitting out and waiting for your opponent to finish, there’s not a thing you can do. You’ve just got to wait for your next chance, because when you are at the table, you are in complete control of the situation.”
A career that spans over a decade in a sport that is unconventional in the country, begs the question as to why Advani chose it to begin with. Unknown to many, the point that solidified his career for him, was when, at the age of 16, he reached the final of the Asian Billiards Championship as a wild card entry. The start of it all, as he reveals, goes back to his boyhood. “When I picked up the cue for the first time, I never thought that this would be my career. When I took up this sport, I think I had a little spark in it and I think I’m fortunate to have been recognised very early in my life. I was just 10 or 11 years old. My elder brother started playing this game and I used to follow him into the snooker club near our house. After weeks of observation, at the first shot I ever tried, the ball disappeared into the pocket,” he says.
Advani is currently in preparation for quite a busy year. Musing on the road ahead, he says, “The IBS World Championship is in October. That’s still a long way, but I have the world championship in April in Ireland, and then I’m leaving for another international event in Mumbai a couple of days from now. So I think I just have to keep myself physically and mentally grounded.”
