When Odia Boy Asutosh Padhy Defeated His Idol Pankaj Advani
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Emerging as a cue sports sensation at the age 13 is not a feat that most teenagers would think of. However, Asutosh Padhy from Bhubaneswar had already made his competitive debut when he was barely 12. The very next year, the talented young lad won the National Sub-Junior Billiards Championship. That was in 2010 and since then Asutosh has been on a title-winning spree. He was recently in limelight when he beat 17-time world champion Pankaj Advani, whom Asutosh considers his idol, in the round-of-32 night clash of the Senior National Men’s Snooker Championship. But, this is just one of the many achievements for Asutosh today. An ace cueist, he has won the snooker title in the same age category in 2011 as well as 2013, and grabbed three national titles winning – sub-junior snooker and billiards as well as the junior titles. He is, in fact, the fourth cueist in India to have won three titles in the same national championship after Geet Sethi, Pankaj Advani and Dhvaj Haria. After winning all three matches of Top-4 cueists at PYC Hindu Gymkhana, Pune, Asutosh also became the 2017 National Junior Snooker Champion. Asutosh who lives in Mumbai, is pursuing legal studies and is the only Odia cue player to have won national titles. A seven-time sub-junior and junior national champion, the young man, in an exclusive conversation with MCL, talks about his recent achievements, his journey so far and future goals. Excerpts. |
You just beat Pankaj Advani! How do you feel?
It’s unbelievable! It’s the best thing that could happen; I mean, since I was a kid, wherever I was asked who my idol was, I always used to say Pankaj Advani. He is the embodiment of cue sports in India. I actually had a chance to play against him a while back, but I lost before I could reach that particular round. This experience was a great boost and I learnt a lot from it.
Were you stressed before the match?
Yes, I was, quite a bit. In a recent championship, I crashed out in the Top 32, that too in a very crucial match. It was very disappointing since I had reached the Top 8 the previous year. After that, I wasn’t very confident. However, I recovered from that, and tried to take it slow. For this match, I was not expecting much and was rather very excited for the feel of it. It was cool! To combat the nervousness, I just tried to be calm; “He’s just a player like me”, I thought, “It’s just a normal game.”
Cue sports barely has any visibility in India, let alone in Odisha. What are your thoughts on this?
I completely agree. Of course, there has been some progress, matches have been live-streamed; we still have a long way to go, though. Odisha, comparatively, is much behind in the world of cue sports. It is non-existent-no infrastructure and the existing associations need to work harder to ensure greater awareness, especially since Odisha is emerging as an international sports hub.
So, how did you get interested in cue sports?
As I said earlier, not too many people know the difference between snooker, billiards and pool. It’s more of a hobby, like “let’s go to the club and play some pool.” That’s how I started, as well. I started playing in Bhubaneswar Club and gradually, my interest grew.
You play both snooker and billiards, which are quite different. How do you balance them?
Of late, I’ve been playing more snooker. I’ve always performed better in snooker than billiards, so I’ve started concentrating more on snooker. After all, not everyone can be Pankaj Advani! (laughs)
Today, you are in a position to improve the visibility issue of cue sports. What is your take on that?
After me, I’ve noticed a drop in the junior entries. Senior entries remain consistent, but junior entry levels keep dropping. I hope more schools start recognising cue sports, and more people should feel encouraged to pursue hobbies like pool and snooker seriously.
You are currently pursuing law at GLC, Mumbai. Law is a very intensive career path. How are you planning to cope?
Honestly, just in terms of course content, law is so vast. I’m currently preparing for my semester exams, and it’s been an uphill task. So far, I have managed balancing both. I hope thatit will all work out.
How supportive is your family?
My parents have supported me unconditionally. At one point, I was depressed, completely broken in spirit; my parents had my back through all that. I’m really, really lucky to have that kind of unwavering support.