With six other Indians in the fray for the world professional billiards title at the start of the tournament in Leeds, Pankaj Advani had plenty of company during his historic journey to the trophy. Though Advani had faced several of his compatriots in tense games on the way to the final, the title clash seemed like a Team India vs Mike Russell contest. And after the victory, the entire Indian contingent crowded around the baby of the team — 24-year-old Advani — and celebrated the historic moment together.

Dhruv Sitwala was Advani’s room mate during the trip and also the player he had beaten in a tense semi-final, but their rivalry didn’t stop Sitwala giving him a pep talk before the final. “I encouraged him by saying that you not only have to win it for yourself but this is equally important for our countrymen,” said Sitwala. “Staying together helped us overcome the match tensions as we used to move around and eat together. We never discussed the games or indulged in extensive post mortems. We just ensured Pankaj was relaxed.” The other Indian semi-finalist, Rupesh Shah too speaks about the importance of team bonding in the individual sport. “It was national pride that brought the team together in the most crucial hours of the championships,” said Shah, who had lost to Mike Russell in the last-four stage. “We all were as tense as Pankaj on the eve of the final,” recalled the man from Ahmedabad. “To ease the tension we decided not to talk much about the match ahead and spent the evening chatting and joking over the dinner,” said the 36-year-old.

... contd.