Nearly a decade ago, the bubbly Shandilya won the National billiards title in Bangalore. Few had given this burly player from Mumbai a chance to win, but Shandilya achieved it against all possible odds.

Immediately after the triumph, the ever-modest Shandilya admitted: ``I am not a natural billiards player. Sure, I have won the National title, but there is still so much more I have to learn. I can't even get the balls to the top table for the Postman's knock.''

This disarming honesty is very much a part of Shandilya, who views defeat and victory as two sides of the same coin. The smile is never far away, whether he is winning or losing. He is not the one to offer excuses for defeat or gloat endlessly about a triumph. ``Sport me sub kuch hota hai'' (In sport, everything happens), has been his philosophy.

Shandilya is also an exampleof a self-made player, who learnt the finer points of billiards by watching the likes of Geet Sethi and Subhash Agarwal. Though he has beaten both, Shandilya holds these giants in great awe. ``Geet is the ultimate in billiards, in my opinion. He is the most complete player I have seen,'' he said the other day.

But such sentiments did not stop the 30-year old from defeating Sethi or Agarwal at the Nationals. Strong on potting, Railways' Shandilya has second thoughts of pursuing a career in billiards. ``It is getting to be very expensive. This year, I haven't played much because I couldn't afford the trips to England. Plus, now that I have started a family, I can't be away from home for long,'' he said.

But a major title, like the World Amateur Chamionship, has still eluded this gutsy player, and he is quick to blame himself for the lost opportunities. ``I have had my chances, but simply blew them.''

But the victory over Sethi, his mentor, in the Asian Games final here on Saturday, should provideShandilya just the boost his career needed. Still in search of a sponsor, he hopes to make another strong bid to reach the top in professional billiards. Shandilya has it in him to become a world champion, but it is just a question of performance matching the ability. ``Who knows, may be some day, I will do it,'' he said.