Chennai :
I don’t have fear in my game,” proclaims S Shrikrishna. While this may seem a tad arrogant at first, he explains that it’s just a mantra he follows. “Both my father and coach once told me a line: ‘Don’t fear your opponent, make him fear you’. And that’s exactly what I try to do in every match; it has helped me succeed,” adds the Chennai lad.
For those wondering, Shrikrishna is the National Junior Billiards champion. His next outing will be the ongoing 12th R Murugesh & Chintamani Memorial all-India Open Snooker Tournament in Erode.
True to his word, the 17-year-old is not worried about things like his national champion status or the fact that he will be a home favourite in the upcoming tournament. “I don’t let such things bother me. This is the second time I’ll be participating in the Erode event and I know what I’m capable of. My focus is to improve match after match and not worry about what the opponent thinks of me or what strategy they will employ,” says Shrikrishna.
His initiation into cue sports was when as a 10-year-old he witnessed his parents take to the green table at the Mylapore Club. But what happened after is more interesting. “When I saw my parents play, I knew I wanted to give it a try as well. But at that time the rules said that children below 12 aren’t allowed to play. My father then took the issue to the manager, who allowed me to play a few shots. That is when he realised I was good at it. They changed the rules immediately after,” says Shrikrishna who is a Class 11 student at National Public School, Gopalapuram.
He performed consistently well, even entering competitions soon enough. “I joined my coach, Nadeem Ahmed at the Tamil Nadu Billiards & Snooker Association (TNBSA) premises soon after the Mylapore Club episode. Unlike others, I started competing a couple months after picking up the stick for the first time. It was only due to the support of my coach and father that this was possible,” he adds.
Shrikrishna is entering a crucial phase in life; he is going to appear for the Class 12 exams next year. But Shrikrishna has it all figured out. “I can’t take a chance with my boards. The nationals will be next January, and that will be the last event I will participate in before the exam.”
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Chennai / by Ravi Iyer / Express News Service / April 27th, 2017