The brightest young prospect on the Indian snooker scene currently is Kreishh Gurbaxani, who has qualified for the highly competitive World Pro Snooker Tour and in the process becoming the youngest Indian to do so at age 21.
The Mumbai lad, who is a Khar Gymkhana cueist, had beaten Pakistan's Muhammad Naseem Akhtar in the final round of the 2024 Asia Oceania Q-School (Event-2) Professional Tour Qualifier event in Bangkok. He did so by winning four successive frames to take the game and clinch his Pro Snooker Tour spot.
"Obviously, it's unbelievable. It's like a dream. All you think about when you start the sport is to become a professional snooker player. It still hasn't sunk in yet for me,'' said a beaming Kreishh in an exclusive chat with the Free Press Journal.
Kreishh's inception into the sport began at age nine when his elder brother got him into the billiards room for a casual hit on the pool table.
"Obviously I didn't know how to play but I got glued to it. Then I would go into the snooker room and started playing pool and played that for one and a half years. Shifted to snooker when my height was suitable to play snooker."
At the age of 11 is when he came under the coaching tutelage of two-time Asian Snooker champion Yasin Merchant.
Under Merchant's coaching, Kreishh grew by leaps and bounds honing his craft and polishing his skills to shine at the highest levels of the sport.
"He has been the main person that has been behind my success whatever I have achieved till now. He's taught me how to play the game and mentally stay calm. How to improve and how I can up my game. I'm very thankful to him for his guidance,'' he added.
Merchant was effusive in his praise for his ward and felt Kreishh is really at a take-off stage as far as his career is concerned.
" My feelings right now...are..We have reached the take off stage. The platform is ready. All that Kreishh needs to do now is to get his act together...dispel all fears...and play with freedom. He would be the surprise package for the very first year and he should use that to his advantage. No pressure...no fear...no anxiety. Just a growing enthusiasm to keep getting better and better on the tour and to take in his stride as many star scalps as he can enroute. Fearless should be his middle name..."
The JML School student from Khar West feels he is ready now for the demanding Pro Snooker Tour challenges.
" My plans going forward is that I have two-year tour card on the world snooker professional tour. Each season has about 13 or 14 events that I can play. I'll play without any pressure. I'll play my heart out and enjoy. I really need the experience."
Kreishh is inspired by several sportspersons but Serbian tennis legend Novak Djokovic is one of the biggest among them.
" There are many sports people who have inspired me. For example, Novak Djokovic is one who constantly does not get a lot of support but somehow proves his critics wrong. How he fights against the odds. Even in snooker, the cueist who fights back from scratch and wins inspires me."
