Pankaj Advani the recent winner of the Asian Snooker Championship and World 6-Red Snooker crowns will be the star attraction in the GSC World Snooker Qualifiers, a National Selection Tournament, hosted by the Goregaon Sports Club (GSC), Mumbai, from October 17 to 27, 2021. This BSFI selection tournament is being organized by The Sportal and will consist of three events – Men’s, Women’s and Boys’ under-21.
Photo Courtesy : Sportal.
The eight elite cueists in all three categories will be seen in action and this will certainly ensure plenty of thrills and the cue sports aficionados will be treated to engrossing contests, during the 11-day tournament, at GSC’s recently renovated billiards hall.
The matches will be played on a round-robin league format
According to Indian coach Ashok Shandilya the competition is expected to be tough as only the top two players from each category will qualify to represent the country in the World Snooker Championship to be played in Doha later this year, either in November or December. The dates are not yet finalized.
GSC President Dr. Vinay Jain mentioned that no stone will be left unturned to provide the best for the players. “We (GSC) are proud to be hosting this event in which the top-most players from around the country are participating. We have decided to offer the best facilities, including boarding and lodging to the outstation players and make them comfortable. That would ensure that the players concentrate on their game which would certainly see the best go on to represent the country,” Dr. Jain mentioned.
The Indian number two, Pankaj, clinched his 24th World title winning the 6-Red Snooker World Cup in Doha, Qatar last month and had earlier retained his Asian Snooker title, also played in the Gulf city and he is the firm favourite to finish at the top and confirm his place in the Indian team.
The 36-year-old Padma Bhushan recipient Pankaj (PSPB) will face a strong challenge from Indian number one and current National champion and compatriot Aditya Mehta. The other strong contenders who will be staking a claim to represent the country include, Laxman Rawat (PSPB ), Pushpender Singh (RSPB), Dhvaj Haria (PSPB), Varun Madan (Delhi ), Himanshu Jain (Telangana )and Neeraj Kumar (RSPB).
Meanwhile, India No. 1 and reigning National champ Vidya Pillai (Karnataka) and India No. 2 Amee Kamani (Madhya Pradesh) will spearhead the field in the women competition. Varsha Sanjeev (Tamil Nadu), Anupama Ramchandran (Tamil Nadu), Arantxa Sanchis (Maharashtra), Chitra M. (Karnataka), Keerath Bhandaal (Delhi) and Suniti Damani (West Bengal) are the other cueists in the women’s competition.
A qualifying tournament for Boys’ under-21 would also be conducted from October 25 to 27. National champion Digvijay Kadian of Haryana and runner-up S. Shrikrishna (PSPB) will be the top contenders, while Sparsh Pherwani (Mah), Aman Bansod (MP), Kreish Gurbaxani (Mah), Aadesh Kothari (TN), Vishwajeet Mohan (UP) and Sumehr Mago (Mah) will complete the line-up.
The participating players –
Men: Aditya Mehta (PSPB), Pankaj Advani (PSPB), Laxman Rawat (PSPB), Pushpender Singh (RSPB), Dhvaj Haria (PSPB), Varun Madan (DEL), Himanshu Jain (TEL), Neeraj Kumar (RSPB).
Women: Vidya Pillai (KTK), Amee Kamani (MP), Varsha Sanjeev (TN), Anupama R. (TN), Arantxa Sanchis (MAH), Chitra M. (KTK), Keerath Bhandaal (DEL), Suniti Damani (WB).
Boys’ U-21: Digvijay Kadian (Har), S. Shrikrishna (PSPB), Sparsh Pherwani (Mah), Aman Bansod (MP), Kreish Gurbaxani (Mah), Aadesh Kothari (TN), Vishwajeet Mohan (UP), Sumehr Mago (Mah).