After an impressive performance at the Regional Qualifiers, five-member Team India CS:GO team and Tekken 7 athlete Hitesh Khorwal have secured their places in the Finals of the 13th Esports World Championship.
With contrasting results in the Regional Qualifiers, which were played online due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Team India CS:GO and Hitesh have now joined Hemanth Kommu, who has already entered Finals in PES 2021 event last month.
Team India CS:GO, comprising skipper Ritesh Sarda, Shuvajyoti Chakraborty, Anshul Adardkar, Hrishikesh Shenoy and Harsh Jain, looked quite dominant throughout the event. Their brilliant strategies and unmatched skills left the opponent clueless as they remained unbeaten in their respective group.
“We are really happy that we made it out of a really competitive South Asian qualifier for the tournament. It’s an honour to be part of Team India at a global level and represent India at the prestigious Esports Championship. It’s a dream come true for all of us and full credit for this feat goes to all my team members. A special note of thanks to ESFI for helping our team get the passports in time; the whole process from the qualifiers to travel formalities have been such a smooth experience; we look forward to getting a medal and make India proud,” Team India CS:GO captain Sarda expressed his excitement ahead of the World Championships Finals.
“Representing one’s country is not what everyone gets to do that quite often, It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity. We are all honoured that we have been placed an opportunity to do the same and prove to the world along with the Indian audience that through sheer strength and determination, we are capable of accomplishing what other countries have done in Esports,” Sarda added while expressing his thoughts on getting the opportunity to represent India in the world finals.
On the other hand, Hitesh aka rcool, who hails from Delhi, faced tough challenges from his opponents as he ended his campaign at the third position. However, he still progressed into the Finals after the first-placed Pakistani athlete “Arslan” pulled out from the Championship following the Regional Qualifiers stage.
“This moment gives me a sense of accomplishment and honour that my diligence and commitment finally paid off. NESC was an apex event of Tekken since it showcased all the titans and goliaths of India so there was a little sense of unsurety but I had ample confidence in hard work and dexterity. NESC as I envisioned, was a tough grind and winning it was a momentous achievement for me. Regional Qualifiers which followed after the NESC also was a huge test of ability as all of my competitors were masters of their trade. It was a great opportunity to test my expertise and overall, it was an exhilarating and revitalizing experience,” said Khorwal.
“The Finals will be a portentous evaluation of my skill but I have a firm belief in my zeal and hard work. It is a challenge which was awaited by me and I feel more than ready to take it,” Khorwal added when asked about the finals in Israel.
In the Regional Qualifiers, India was placed in the South Asian region alongside Pakistan, United Arab Emirates, Maldives and Sri Lanka. The finals of the prestigious tournament is scheduled to be held offline in Eilat, Israel from 14 to 19 November.