For the 27-year-old Thakur Aakanksha Singh, it is a dream come true to be picked for the World Billiards Championship to be held in Adelaide (Australia) from September 25. This gifted cueist, who actually quit the sport for six years after being India No. 4 in 2008 to pursue her post-graduation in medicine (she is a dentist), is back where she simply loves to be – at the green baize, to make a mark again.
Incidentally, this doctor by profession is the only cueist from Telangana to represent India in the forthcoming world championship and also the first-ever lady from the State to feature in any world championship. “Yes, I feel elated at this huge honour of representing the country,” says a visibly delighted Aakanksha, whose best in the Senior Nationals in Kolkata early this year was a pre-quarter-final appearance in snooker. “Having represented India in the world under-21 snooker in Goa in 2007, I am aware of the kind of competition at that level. So, my philosophy will be pretty simple – just to give my best,” says the articulate cueist, who is coached by the Kakinada-based I.V. Rajeev and Hyderabadi Lucky Vatnani.
Frequent interactions with world champion Pankaj Advani during Nationals, did help her fine-tune some rough edges in her game. “With my academics over, I started training last November and pursuing my passion with all sincerity,” says Aakanksha, who got hooked to the cue sports by her occasional visit to pool parlours in the city. Her dad, T. Amar Singh, and mother, T. Renuka Singh, saw her interest and decided to put her in regular training.
With Capt. P.V.K. Mohan, president of BSFI, hailing from the city, cue sports did take off. “There is a lot of awareness now and we have some very good players with whom we can train,’ says Aakanksha. For someone who loves to read Robin Cook, this cueist from the city is hoping that everything falls in place in Adelaide.
‘I feel elated at this huge honour of representing the country’
