Gujarat players lack consistency, says Sonic

Ahmedabad: Gujarat had been the traditional nursery for cue sports, producing eminent players like Satish Mohan, Neelkamal Vakil, Rajkamal Vakil and Geet Sethi — all legends of the billiards and snooker table.

This apart, the likes of Sonic Multani and Rupesh Shah, too, ruled the national billiards and snooker scene in the 90s.

Despite a brief career, Multani had managed to churn out some incredibly remarkable games.

However, that seems to be lost now with only 26-year-old Dhvaj Haria managing to keep the magic on the cue stick still alive reaching back-to-back finals of the senior national billiards both in 2018 and 2019. However, he too is yet to lift the coveted trophy.

“Gujarat players are lacking consistency,” said Multani, who was recently appointed the national snooker coach. Multani who lifted the billiards title twice — in 1995 and 1996 — and the snooker title in 1997, was in the city on Saturday.

Talking to TOI, “Super Sonic” as Multani was nicknamed with his trailblazing show on the green baize in the mid-90s, he was all praise for Dhvaj’s game saying that he can topple any top billiards player any day. However, he too needs to work on his consistency, Multani added.

Talking about Rupesh and Dhvaj, the coach said the duo is by far the most consistent of the lot and is the best in the business in the state.

“Rupesh plays in a well-planned way and his experience down the years helps him in achieving a high standard. Dhvaj has all the shots is his armour but somehow misses on those crucial points and is unable to capitalize on those opportunities,’’ lamented Multani, master snooker who retired abruptly in 1997 at the peak of his career surprising his fans.

“Top Indian players such as Pankaj Advani, Aditya Mehta, Sourav Kothari... all have more faith in their abilities and are thus more successful. When I was an aspiring young player, someone once warned me that while I was sleeping, somebody in another corner of the globe was practicing. This affected me so much that I started working hard,” said the 48-year-old Multani.

Ahmedabad’s Rupesh Shah, the 1993 national billiards champion, too feels that the youngsters taking up cue sports in the state lack the hunger to excel. “I think the youngster just want to enjoy the game as they lack the hunger.’’

Rupesh still cherishes the way he used to practice with Sonic in the 90s. “We not only practiced together but also participated in championships together,” recalled Rupesh.

Gujarat State Billiards Association president, Abhishek Shah, too, is of the opinion that youngsters like Karmesh Patel, Dhruv Patel, and Ranveer Singh Marwa can aspire to reach the zenith that the state’s world and national champions have reached.

“Budding players like Karmesh, Dhruv and Ranveer will shine in years to come but it will take some time for them to become national champions,’’ said Shah.

He further said that the sport is becoming popular in other cities like Rajkot, Surat, Vadodara, Navsari, and Jamnagar besides Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar.