Anupama Ramachandran to lead India in English billiards at Commonwealth Cue Sports Championships

Chennai — After a semifinal finish at the UK Women’s Snooker Championship earlier this month, Anupama Ramachandran will lead India’s challenge in English billiards at the Commonwealth Cue Sports Championships in Ahmedabad, the reigning IBSF World Snooker champion said. She is turning her focus from recent snooker events to billiards ahead of the Ahmedabad tournament.

Anupama said she had competed in several snooker tournaments and felt her form improving. "I’ve been playing a couple of snooker tournaments and did well in the event in the UK. I’ve been feeling more confident and feel that I’m in good touch," Anupama told The Hindu in an virtual interaction. "Obviously, I’m playing billiards, which is a little different. Although the games are similar, they require different skills and a different thought process. So, I’ll have to put in the hours on the billiards table."

The 23-year-old has also broadened her cue-sport experience by testing herself in Heyball over the last year and a half, competing at the Asian and World championships. On the crossover from snooker to Heyball and billiards she said: "Because I’ve played snooker, the potting aspect does help me. But there’s a lot of tactical play and the way you think about the game is a little different. It’s about playing more and gaining experience," she said.

Anupama framed the Ahmedabad event as important for the development of cue sports in India, noting billiards’ growing profile in multi-sport competitions. "India has a great legacy in billiards with the likes of Wilson Jones, Michael Ferreira, Geet Sethi and Pankaj Advani. We won five medals at the previous edition in Mauritius, and hopefully we can improve on that this time."

She has been working with former Asian champion Yasin Merchant to refine technical details, with an emphasis on timing and cueing. "I was struggling a little with my timing and cueing, and Yasin sir helped me make a few changes. It’s a slow process, but I can already see the difference in my game. I feel more comfortable with my timing and my shots now, and that has been the major change," she said.

The Commonwealth Cue Sports Championships are scheduled to take place in Ahmedabad from October 7 to 10, where Anupama will lead India’s entry in English billiards.