CHENNAI: The most awaited game by the cue fans during the recently concluded national billiards and snooker tournament held in Chennai was the billiards game between the PSPB mates Pankaj Advani and S Shrikrishna.
Shrikrishna, who was facing the 26-time IBSF Champion Pankaj, was aiming for his first win against the latter in billiards. In the best of seven frames contest, Pankaj won the first two, but the local lad was not ready to give up. Shrikrishna secured the third frame, making a statement that he had not yet lost the game.
The local cueist, who specialises in the speed and aggressive game, never gave a chance for Pankaj to settle, winning two more. Then, it became a do or die match between them, where Pankaj bagged a 4-3 win. “It was a heartbreak for me. More than winning the national title, I really wanted to beat Pankaj in my hometown, unfortunately it couldn’t happen,” Shrikrishna told this daily.
The 23-year-old cueist from Chennai had his eye on tennis first, and he took up cueing for the first time when he was ten years old. In the first shot he tried, Shrikrishna found the pot and from thereon, he has been on a dream run. Shrikrishna holds a rare record of winning the state titles in sub junior, junior and senior categories in both billiards and snooker for three consecutive years. He also won the IBSF World Men’s 6-Red Snooker Championship in 2022.
Coached by his father N Suryanarayanan, his parents have been the vital force behind Shrikrishna’s success. In fact, Suryanarayanan, Shrikrishna and his mother Gayathri entered the sport together. Suryanarayanan, who was passionate about the game, quit his job to coach his son. He learned the sport and went on to become an international referee.
“I was a cricket player in my college days, but my dad asked me to concentrate on my studies, which was the conventional way at that time. But after marriage, my wife and I made a decision that we will support to pursue any interest of our son. We never gave him any sort of pressure. We only gave him support. He was doing very well in cue sports and it is our duty to support him and many kind hearted people helped in his growth. He came up the ladder fast, but all that happened because of his hard work and dedication at the table. We are so proud that he is representing the nation and winning all these accolades,” said Suryanaryanan.
The year 2023 has not been kind for the promising cueist. First, the PSPB cueist was not able to take part in the national games along with the likes of Pankaj and Sourav Kothari. And then, he could not make a mark in the IBSF championship Doha and in the nationals that were held in Chennai. However, Shrikrishna is keen on starting afresh in the new year. “Last year was very tough for me. I also had many setbacks and losses but I have started my preparations for the upcoming tournaments and I want to get back in form quickly,” he signed off.