We were asked to skip a format: Pankaj Advani

Billiards ace Pankaj Advani, who along with the Indian team, skipped the traditional format of the game at the recently held world championships in Ireland, revealed it was done so at the insistence of the Asian Confederation of Billiards Sports president Sindhu Pulsirivong.

The seven-time billiards world champion said that the shorter version of the game will be more attractive and spectator-friendly.

“What happened was that Pulsirivong has done a lot for the game in South East Asia and other parts of the world. He said ‘we don’t want you to play the longer form of the game,’” said the Padma Shri awardee.

“Everyone’s shortening the format, making it more unpredictable. So that is why he told us not to play the time format this year. They basically want to do away with the longer format to make it extremely competitive, short and unpredictable,” he added.

Advani believes that there is a debate on which of the two versions is better. “There are different schools of thought, one says that the traditional format tests one’s ability. But the point format is faster, interesting and gives everyone an equal chance.

“Keeping the bigger picture in mind, we decided to skip the time format and support the point format. It’s good for the game. Making the game attractive and spectator-friendly is the way forward,” Advani said during a promotional event in the city.

The “grand double” champion, who has earlier won both the points and the time formats at world championships, said, “We may not have the time format in the future. We may have only one (traditional) tournament in England, that we would be able to play,” he said adding that players from South East Asians like India, Singapore, Thailand, Myanmar, and Vietnam were supporting the cause.

The ace cueist said he believes that the Indian cricket board (BCCI) should be brought under government purview. “BCCI is obviously the best sporting federation of the country. But it should come under the government. Only then you can call yourself Team India. Otherwise, it would be called Team BCCI.”