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Pankaj Advani is being called the best thing to have happened to Indian billiards after the legendary Geet Sethi. Born in Pune on July 24, 1985, Advani has made a mark for himself by annexing three world titles at a tender age of 19 years.
Advani showed promise and talent from a young age. Arvind Savur, former national snooker champion, spotted him as a 10-year-old who used to accompany his elder brother to the Karnataka State Billiards Association hall.
After becoming the youngest national snooker champion at 17, Advani has gone on to excel at the international stage displaying sublime skills and composure. In 2005, Adwani became the first player to complete a grand double by winning both the points format as well as the time format titles in the IBSF World Billiards championship in Malta. He also won the World snooker title in 2003.
The unassuming Advani, who won the points format title beating compatriot Devendra Joshi 6-2 in the final, showed that he had the patience and the skills to beat the best in the longer format as he outplayed seven-time World champion Geet Sethi in a thrilling six hour final.
Despite achieving extraordinary success at a young age, Advani has his feet firmly on ground. With three World titles already under his belt, Adwani is sure to scale greater heights in a sport teeming with players of ripe age.
Pankaj Advani has been awarded the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award for the year 2005.
