Lording over the green baize – Varsha Sanjeev

Varsha Sanjeev of Bangalore is the latest sensation in cue sports

She loves the phrase—‘Smart girls make history’ and has the words encrypted on a T-Shirt she wears often. At 15, Varsha Sanjeev has taken the cue sports community by storm.

At the Karnataka State Billiards Association (KSBA), she is the most talked about junior players being groomed at the club, and for good reason. Within two years of her taking up the sport, she owns a national title, having defeated Arantxa Sanches – an opponent who has won 12 national championships and is also six years older than Varsha. “That was a motivating win but there are more to come,” is the attitude Varsha carries.

Snooker and billiards are not sports that instantly attract youngsters. They are not the kind of sports that are frequently telecast on TV like cricket or tennis; they are not sports which can create fascination and a desire to emulate the stars among youngsters.

For Varsha, it was spending several hours playing snooker online that made her develop a liking towards the unconventional sport. “It never occurred to us that cuesports are unconventional, especially for girls,” says Varsha’s father Sanjeev Kumar, a civil engineer. “She is sharp, calculative and a good learner and that was the reason we made her take it up when she was only 11,” he recalls.

It was boring in the beginning, accepts the ninth standard student of Sophia Girls’ High School. “I started playing at YMCA but it was boring as I was the only one playing. It can even get monotonous if you can’t master your skills,” says the sharp cueist.

Initially, Varsha, disappointed by the lack of opportunities, gave up and tried her hand at swimming and chess. Her fascination for the sport and a desire to achieve milestones in it were rekindled when she witnessed Pankaj Advani win a twin world title in front of the home crowd here in 2008. “I saw Pankaj win the world titles here. That was the first time I was watching the sport live and it really interested me,” she adds.

Today, she practices with the likes of top players B Bhaskar, Chitra Magimairaj and IH Manudev, and is coached by MG Jayaram. “Since I started playing at the KSBA with my idols, it has been a great learning experience, and it’s just awesome to watch them play. I’ve managed to pick up the fine nuances of the game,” she reveals. “I like billiards better than snooker, although I will continue playing both forms. My coach has asked me to concentrate on billiards as it helps develop one’s snooker skills too,” she adds.

Varsha with her idol Pankaj Advani and state-mate Mundir Sherazi

Pankaj Advani on Varsha:

“I think senior champs like Chitra should be worried about Varsha. She’s shown some great potential and there is no reason why she should not believe in her self to go out and take on the senior players. I wish her luck.”