Ready on cue

You want to shout and scream when you missed a shot, but you can’t do it because you’ll be disqualified! To show no emotion on the face, unlike in other sports is the toughest part of snooker and I’ve screamed in the bathroom many times at myself in the mirror, after a bad game,” shares 17-year old Shri Krishna. A 12th grader at National Public School, the young lad has achieved feats that no one his age has, in cue sports.

At a tournament

Walking around Mylapore Club one day, Shri Krishna found his parents playing billiards. Intrigued by the atmosphere of the room, he fell in love with the game, where people also chatted along and munched a few fries. When he wanted to play, he was denied an entry owing to the age restriction. But Shri Krishna challenged the people in-charge that he can play and struck a few shots, which were luckily successful. Since then, he has been playing snooker every day. Starting his snooker journey with his son, Shri Krishna’s father Suryanarayanan is also now a snooker enthusiast, who has also refereed many international matches. “All three of us (father and mother) watched videos together to learn many shots!” he adds.

Having played more than 10 world championships, Shri Krishna also owns a record of being the national champion for three consecutive years. Talking about the journey from nationals to internationals, Shri Krishna shares, “Most players under senior category have years of experience in snooker, which is more than my actual age. It is definitely difficult playing against them, but I remember what my dad and coach Nadeem Ahmed told me, ‘never fear your opponent’. That keeps me going.” Recollecting his matches, the sportsman adds, “The IBSF — World Under 21 Billiards Championship held in Adelaide Australia 2015 was one of the best matches ever. I won the gold and it was a proud moment to win it for India.”

Revealing that physical ability is as vital as mental health, the champion states, “It is a high precision game. Billiards is an art and snooker is dynamic. Both are challenging and you need to be fit, and one needs a lot of patience to be in 
control.”

Talking about his school life, the student says, “I should say, I am one of the very few lucky students. My school chairman has been my mentor and supporter. He has encouraged me in every tournament and even sponsored a couple. My teachers from the 10th grade pushed me to play tournaments but I did good in my public exams. Hopefully, the same goes on with the 12th boards.”

The young achiever, who is all set to represent India in the World Snooker Indian Open this September, and many more international matches, shares, “My only goal is to outperform myself in every game and do better. I want to do justice to my coach, family and sponsors and India. To bring a good name to the country is a chance not everyone gets and I will work hard for it.”