Aditya Mehta hopes to shift gears after nationals victory

CHENNAI: There was a time in 2018 when Aditya Mehta stopped believing. The pain — he was diagnosed as having degenerative discs in the cervical spine — was so great he had contemplated giving up the ghost. In fact, for a brief while, whenever he lined up to pot a ball, he knew that this could well be his last shot.

On Sunday, during the final of the national snooker championship, his mind briefly went back in time to 2018 to remind him of what his body had been through. It’s why he says ‘this is a  special win’. 
He beat the seasoned Pankaj Advani 6-2 (103-17, 50-58, 47-48, 70-40, 83-36, 69-07) in the best of 11 frames contest to clinch his fourth national title. 

Even though the 34-year-old is closing on his optimum fitness level, he cannot afford to push too fast too soon. On Sunday, he was forced to take three painkillers during the match. “At one point, I had to summon my physio to ask him if I could take the medicine... it was basically anti-inflammatory drugs.” Saying that, Mehta is of the opinion that he has made tremendous improvements over the last two-three months. “Pain wise, there have been lots of positive developments over the last 2-3 months. Even though there is still some weakness in the neck, this is more than manageable.” That’s resulted in more intense practice sessions. “Earlier, I used to practice only for 30 minutes at a stretch because of the pain. Now, I am able to do a complete session (from 10.00 am till 3 or 4.00 pm) no problems.”

About the final itself, he was happy with the way he brought his ‘A’ game to the fore after a couple of below-par performances. “To be honest, my route till the semifinal was pretty straightforward and I don’t think I was playing my best,” he said. “But in the semis and finals, I was able to find another gear and that’s what I was hoping for. Beating somebody like Advani after trailing in the final is big and I am extremely happy to have done it.” 

Even though this isn’t Mehta’s first title post the indefinite break he took in 2018, this start to the year, Mehta claims, should spur him to the next level. “I have a few events lined up... there is the 6-Red nationals as well as the Asian 6-Red Championships and I hope to be in the squad for that.” The big one though for the Delhiite is the Q School (to become a professional) meet that will take place in Sheffield later this year. “That’s the obvious target for me right now.” Mehta was playing at that level before the neck injury derailed his career. The next six months will reveal whether he is able to get to that level again so soon after finding the sweet spot.