Ahmedabad cueists in corona pocket

AHMEDABAD: Dhvaj Haria and Rupesh Shah, both from Ahmedabad, have become prominent names in the last few years in the cue sport, both at national and international levels. They have churned out some incredible victories. Both can easily be called among the best in the field in the state.
Ahmedabad, considered to be the nursery and the hub for this sports in India, has given eminent players of the calibre of Satish Mohan, Neelkamal Vakil, Rajkamal Vakil and Geet Sethi in the past – all legends and big names on the international arena.

Dhvaj, 27, ranked amongst the top 3 in India in billiards and top 5 snooker, is the most promising of the current lot. Having all the shots in his armour, the talented cueist reached back-to-back finals of the senior national billiards in 2018 and 2019.
“This year due to the pandemic, I was unable to play international tournaments in Leeds, London and Melbourne,’’ said a dejected Dhvaj, speaking to TOI. However, the talented youngster has taken the pandemic in his stride.
“I have been practising regularly at home and at the Sports Club (following the new safety norms) in the evening. It has also given me an opportunity to practise and learn new skills,” said Dhvaj.
“This year, I was supposed to participate at the World Billiards Limited championship and the World Matchplay championship at Leeds in April and the IBSF World Billiards championship in October, but couldn't participate due to the pandemic,’’ said the Arjuna award winner, Rupesh, 47. Ahmedabad’s Sonic Multani, the current national snooker coach, too, feels that apart from established players like Rupesh and Dhvaj, the pandemic has affected the progress of the upcoming players too.