Hyderabad snooker star Khizar Raoof has pocketed an opportunity to make a mark on the world stage after his entry was accepted by the World Snooker Q School — a stepping stone to the World Snooker Tour.
Khizar is the first Indian to gain entry to the tournament this year. The event, which will be held across two separate competitions, will be played the Meadowside Leisure Centre in Burton, England, from May 11.
The semifinalists from each tournament will be awarded pro cards for two years. Khizar had also taken part in the tournament thrice before — from 2010 to 2012.
Khizar, who’s a regular among Hyderabad’s cue elite, says he fancies his chances at this year’s qualifying event. “I have been training quite hard for the last couple of months at the Baulkline Cuesports Academy (in Madhapur), where new tables, ball sets and baize were set up just for me,” he said, adding, “I feel that I am playing the best I ever have; my safety game has improved and my break building is better than ever.”
“I have also lost 25 kg in the last year, so I’m feeling razor-sharp and hungry for this event. I feel I am ready for the English game now,” Khizar declared.
“In the UK, I have a few practice matches lined up with greats like Ronnie O’Sullivan, Ding Junhui and Aditya Mehta. I hope to learn from them,” added Khizar, who’s a doctor by profession.
“Coming from a family of doctors, I was always knew at some level that I was expected to become one,” said Khizar. “But it wasn’t until I finished my post-graduation in General Surgery that I realised just how good I was at snooker.”
It wasn’t all smooth-sailing, however. “In 2008, I took a break from medicine to pursue snooker full-time,” he recalled. “It had put too much pressure on me and consequently, my performances went from bad to worse. I went back to medicine in 2011, and the pressure dissipated when I restarted my post-graduation. I began winning again. Snooker and surgery are my lifelines — I cannot do well in one without the other; I love both and I will give my best to both.”
Acknowledging the crucial roles played by his family — wife Mahjabeen, mother Maleeha Raoof and father M.A. Raoof — as well as colleagues Dr Madhusudan, Dr Mazharuddin and Col G.N. Prasad in his endeavour, Khizar said, “I hope to repay their faith by making them proud.”
