Bengaluru as a city enjoys the luxury of a host of sports stars who have gone on to make the city and the nation proud. While most Bengalureans revel in the number of homegrown cricketers the city has produced, an unassuming figure has quietly yet steadily continued his dominance in his field: Pankaj Advani.
His recent win at the Asian Snooker Championship 2025 understandably has Advani in high spirits. Still grounded, he mentions, “To win any gold medal for the country is obviously very satisfying and fulfilling; it is also very special because this is a championship that I have won after three years.” It is worth noting that Advani is one of the very few who play across formats. “It definitely takes some pressure off me to be honest, because I play both billiards and snooker and while I’ve done really well in billiards over the last three-four years, to win an international snooker title is definitely very, very challenging. In fact, one of the most challenging things,” he says.
This win marks Advani’s 14th gold across snooker and billiards in the Asian stage, a feat which is adequately superlative in its own right, and almost certainly unprecedented in Indian sports. Advani, who at this point has seen it all, remains motivated to better himself with each passing day, believing that he hasn’t reached his ‘full potential yet’. “At this point, it’s not about the records or the statistics or the numbers. I think I’ve passed that stage. And I don’t want to sound arrogant, but it’s more about being the best version of yourself. And as long as I can improve each day, play the game the way it should be played, and have no doubts, I’m satisfied,” he says.
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.”