BANGALORE: After winning the Asian Games silver medal in the team event last year in Guangzhou, China, Yasin Merchant was still fit and raring to go at the age of 45. But a year later, the former national snooker champion has found out that it is not easy to compete at the highest levels even as an amateur and announced that the IBSF world snooker championship would be his last competition.
A fighter always, Yasin made it to the round of 48 in the knockout and then came through to the round of 32. He faced the 2003 champion Steve Mifsud and went down fighting 4-5 at the end of a gruelling match.
Sure enough the tough cookie that he is, went through the rather emotional moments in the quiet of his room and then returned to watch the others in action. “There is an empty feeling in me now. It is the KSBA where it all started for me. And as a strange coincidence, it has ended here as well. After being around for more than three decades, I am going to miss the action but I will keep myself active on the local circuit. Yes, I also intend to coach youngsters,” said Yasin.
“I have thought about retirement for long and even tried to convince myself if I could live without competition. But I decided that there was a time for everything and informed the BSFI that this would be my last tournament,” explained the former pro. “But after I lost against Steve, I felt very upset, yet I think I have made the right decision,” said Yasin.
Interestingly, at a felicitation function after the Asian Games in 2010, Yasin had dedicated his medal to the KSBA for its efforts in organising tournaments and camps for the national team. “It was in Bangalore that I was invited by the KSBA for the Karnataka Open championships in 1984. I beat Karnataka’s national snooker champion B V Srinivasa Murthy. BVS was a big name then and after being down 1-5, I managed to win the match 6-5. My journey began from then onwards. I can never forget the KSBA and Bangalore for whatever I have achieved,” he added. “Again five years later, I played in the Gold Flake Open in 1990. I lost to Sonic Multani and had to win 5-2 against Danny Fowler who was ranked 22 in the World then. I did exactly that and won that match from an almost impossible position. Fowler and Tony Drago spoke to me and urged me to try my hand at pro snooker. That victory over the pro player with a projected scoreline convinced me to go to the UK and play on the pro circuit.
“I went and stayed in the UK for six years and achieved a career high ranking of 65 which is the highest for an Indian. But I had to stay away from my family for long and I could not do that. “I was forced to return but today I regret not continuing. Possibly, had I continued for some more time, I would have probably reached the top 32 or maybe even 16,” observed Yasin. “But as I said, there is a time for everything and I am proud and happy with what I have achieved,” he added.
“I want to contribute something to the game that has given me so much. Coaching youngsters would be the best way. The BSFI also intends to use my services,” he pointed out. “There is a lot of snooker talent in the country and players must be guided properly,” he felt.
In any case, Yasin was India’s best snooker player and his absence has surely created a void hard to fill.