Aditya’s Crucible whirls

I’ve been to England a lot since 2008. It isn’t very uncomfortable staying away from home. I like being on the road. Anyway I’m pretty useless at home,and feel odd when I’m in Mumbai in between tournaments. Everytime I’ve gone there,I’ve improved game-wise and mentally,so I keep going back. I know if I live in India,I won’t improve significantly. The challenge is to constantly get better.

Describe the first win.

I started badly against the Welshman Andrew Pagget,who is very experienced and has played four rounds at the Crucible last time. I started shaky,wanting to get my first win,since I’ve never won at the Worlds. At 2-5 down,I was struggling and it got stressful. But at that point I stopped caring and worrying about what the world expects or what parents or coaches expect. I realised my only chance of winning was if I could enjoy my game. I sensed the momentum change immediately at 4-5,though he still held a 2 frame lead. But from 6-8,I levelled it to 8-8,and I guess that shook him up. After that I stuck to not making any stupid mistakes,and won 4 frames in a row.

What’s with the tendency to concede leads?

At the Nationals,I was 4-0 up,and then the opponent had levelled it to 4-4 and it felt like a disaster. I held my nerve and got a good break of 70 to hang on. Even in the last domestic tournament that I won,I was 4-0 up. I think the scoreline doesn’t suit me! My opponent again came up to 4-4,but I won 6-5. That proved I could handle pressure. Earlier,sometimes,I couldn’t finish matches when I was in command. The weakness was mental. But it taught me someting new. I needed to accept that I might lose,and it’s not the end of the world.

How did you deal with the early disappointments in your career?

In the last three months,I’ve played 9 tournaments in India,made 7 finals and won all. I’ve lost only 3 matches in India since January 2011. In my junior years,I was always losing in quarterfinals,semifinals and heard plenty of critical stuff from people. It was a battle with my own head. I was an introvert,and extremely negative in my mindset as a kid. As the youngest in the family with two sisters,I was always very protected. But things changed since my first season of turning pro. I had to live alone,and with that independence I became mentally stronger. Mum’s always been spiritual,and I’m into lot of self-help books. Slowly,I’ve reached a stage where I can think of winning at all times.

How do you manage the funding?

I don’t blame public or sponsors who are dissuaded from supporting snooker players. But frankly,Indian standards are nowhere in snooker right now. Yasin developed high standards two decades ago,which were golden years of Indian snooker. But we haven’t seen that level in a while. From days of Yasin to Geet Sethi and others like Sanjay Sawant,the level has obviously dropped right now. But I’ll be more than happy to attain the level that Yasin reached.

I compete in 30-35 tourneys and am travelling for almost 10 months. My short-term goal is to get back on the pro tour,and in five years,hopefully,I’ll be in the Top 50 of the world. Top 32 is a long shot. In pro snooker,there’s no Tier 2 or Tier 3 where you can play and jump in the rankings. It’s all Tier 1. If I get the necessary funding – it takes 25 lac a year to be pro – then the financial burden might ease out because it is draining on my family – supporting the stay in UK,travel in Europe. But I understand why sponsors aren’t enthused,it’s not a TV sport in India. Also most Indian people want to hear of a No 1 and nothing less,so it will be as difficult to find anyone to back me when I’m,say,Top 30 as it is now,though reaching there will also be difficult. I might be India’s No1 amateur,but it’s difficult to convince sponsors.

I can’t depend on prize money to sustain myslef,and am dependant on my family’s funding. There’s no savings from what I earn. But until I’m broke,I guess I’ll continue trying,though I don’t want to burden my parents. I’m quite practical that way,not emotional – so I don’t get homesick,and have learnt to fend for myself – including cooking. I make great dal rice,khichdi and pasta!

How did you start?

I started out in the sport when I was 12. My father was a decent club-level player,and encouraged me in both snooker and golf. One side of my house is the BPGC golf course,and the other is the Club where I played snooker. I preferred golf till I was 15 when I won a snooker meet and that tilted the choice. Snooker was second choice till then. But I played all sorts of sports as a kid – football for 7-8 years in school,and cricket.

What is training for snooker like?

I’ve always had a fragile body,with the neck and shoulder being constant areas of concern.

A usual day of practice starts 10 am and goes upto 6 pm with just a break for lunch. It might not be as physical a sport as some outdoor ones,but snooker demands immense intensity for which I do a lot of mental preparation and meditation and yoga. I was addicted to working out when I was younger,but one reason why I like this sport is because I am more quiet and laidback than most people and this suits my mental temperament.

How important are the Asian Championships?

I’ve made the finals of the Asian Championships twice in the last three years,so that’s something I want to win this time. Then,there’s invitationals in Kolkata,Mumbai and Baroda. I’ll know in few weeks if I make the cut-off point of the pro circuit for the next season. The Asian championship is important to re-qualify,but if I lose my pro spot then I need to go back to the Amateurs. India has one nomination to turn pro,and according to the new guidelines you’ll be guaranteed two years minimum on the circuit. But we’ll know in some days.

I like competing at events like Asian Games – it’s one of the few opportunities to represent the country,and is recognized by the government. We have two Asian champs in Yasin and Alok,and I’d love to carry that baton. Sadly,cue sports might not stay on the Asian games programme from next time. Though we’re all keen it does.

Does your milder personality go against what’s expected of you as a competitor?

I don’t think I need aggression. I work well as a silent assassin. I don’t want to be known as someone who will intimidate you,cause I know I can come and beat you. I’ve always been a careful person,and won’t give away too much by means of expressing to an opponent. I can’t claim to make opponents quake,but I am always quietly confident.

Legends of snooker are a world apart from what we see in the country – they play a different brand of snooker. Indians tend to be calculated and very defensive. Yasin was different because of his aggression. he’d never hold back and that I guess came with playing against teh top guys internationally. Indians usually lean towards cautious: we’re always told ‘Don’t make mistakes.’ I’m trying to get the right blend of the required aggression and what my temperament allows.

What’s it like to play at the Crucible?

It’s an incredible atmosphere. There’s about 1000 people watching,but it’s a very claustrophobic setting in the 30 ft X 30 ft room that gets people going. The game is so mental that anything in that room can play on your mind. And it’s so quiet,it can be scary. The crowd out there in UK is very knowledgable,and though the maximum players come from there,the actual massive viewership is in countries like Belgium and Germany. Even a 100-200 in India bring out the best in me,so that typical atmosphere is very inspiring.

Who are your sporting idols?

Ronnie O’Sullivan is the greatest talent I’ve seen and come across. I played him twice in tournaments,and he demolished me,which was a real eye-opener. There’s a few things I’ll do different next time I play him. Firstly,I’ll try and play carefree and not be scared. The last two times I was shaking and it’s incredible just how many silly mistakes you can make. I might not beat him,but I’ll definitely give him a better fight.

In India,I look up to youngsters like Somdev Dev Varman and Saina Nehwal. They are showing the toughness to fight it out. Other than that leander Paes is a legend,and I’ve always been a Manchester United fan. Being from Mumbai,you have to support Mumbai Indians in IPL,there’s no choice!

Do you believe cricket overshadows all other sports?

I’ve frankly gotten over it. We’ve spent lot of years cribbing about cricket and the importance it gets,and generally trash-talking that sport. But you have to accept the sport is huge,people love it and we are world champs. Snooker has 40 countries participating,but India doesn’t rank anywhere big in it at this moment. I’ll need to win big to get noticed.

What is your immediate goal?

I think I’ve done well abroad. I have a 50-50 win-loss record in four years of the pro circuit,so that’s fine. But I’m definitely aiming to take the next step,improve upon my ranking of 82 this time. Yasin at his best was No 65,I want to aim for that and then beyond.

When people talk about me these days,they expect me to win. But I can’t pretend to be this aggressive dominant player. I don’t want to try to become what I’m not,and I’m happy being Me. I might not have that bright,red-hot champ aura; mine is probably a thin lime green!

Is the pro circuit teeming with characters?

The era of charcaters is gone from snooker. Everyone’s healthy,everyone’s focussed and trying to be the best. There’s no characters happening worldwide in most sports. So,you get very high quality of sport,but lesser entertainment now.

What are the Chinese like on the circuit?

The Chinese are technically excellent at a young age. In sheffield there are 7-8 Chinese on the pro-tour,and that number will go up to 12 this year. It’s a massively booming sport in China and it reflects in their base of a million snooker players. Ding Junhui is their top guy,World No 3 currently,and he won ranking titles as a teenager. He’s prolific. They may seem robotic because of the strong beatings they dish out,but they just look robotic. It’s actually a pleasure to practice with them,and watch how they play. They are just as capable of being funny,chattering away for hours as anyone else is something i’ve realised since i’ve been living in the same apartments with 3-4 of them. When they play,their focus is impeccable.