Aditya ChaudhuriCharanjot Singh, one of India’s star FIFA pros, and Street Fighter V athlete Mayank Prajapati produced strong performances to secure themselves a berth each for the 2022 Asian Games after winning the titles at the Esports Federation of India’s (ESFI) National Esports Championships 2022 (NESC ’22).
Charanjot outclassed Karman Singh with a score of 4-1 and 6-5 in a nail-biting FIFA 22 grand final. The Chandigarh resident, who made headlines last year after winning the AIFF eFootball Challenge 2021, made his mark in the national qualifiers by entering the finals from the losers’ bracket before defeating a strong opponent in Karman, who had made into the finals from the winners’ bracket.
The on-going NESC ’22 has been played virtually due to the COVID pandemic as the winners will be selected to represent the country at the upcoming Asian Games scheduled to be held in Hangzhou, China from September 10–25, 2022. The ESFI has been conducting national qualifiers in a double elimination format for five popular Esports titles: DotA 2, Hearthstone, FIFA 22, Street Fighter V and League of Legends. Esports will be played as a medal sport for the first time ever at the Asian Games.
Following his win at the NESC’22, Charanjot Singh commented:
“I’m really happy and proud of myself for winning the NESC Fifa Qualifiers. It’s a great feeling to represent India in FIFA. Its sheer dedication and hard work resulted in getting the spot in the Asian Games 2022 and it allowed me a chance to bring the laurels to the country.
“The right mentality and proper grind towards the game make everything possible and a sure-shot path to get success. I can’t wait to represent India at the Asian games and do my best to get that medal home.”
Meanwhile, in the grand final of Street Fighter V, Mayank aka “MiKeYROG” defeated Ayan Biswas 3-0. Out of 15 players who registered for SFV, both Mayank and Ayan showed immense skills in their respective gameplays. The more dominant between the two, Mayank, secured his berth for the 2022 Asian Games by showcasing extraordinary skills, completing the tournament undefeated. Hailing from Delhi, Mayank is a popular face in the Indian fighting game community and got into Street Fighter in 2009.
An elated Mayank Prajapti stated:
“It’s a dream come true moment for me. I’m super excited for Asian Games 2022. This is really huge and it will definitely put the Indian FGC’s name on the global map. This is a lifetime opportunity and I’m going to put every ounce of energy into getting the gold medal for my country.
“Also, a big thanks to ESFI for handling the qualifiers with such ease and providing Indian FGC with such an amazing opportunity.”
The Top 6 in the esports title Hearthstone, Tirth Mehta, Vinayak Subramanian, Karthik Varma Vegesna, Shikhar, Adarsh Shivam and Garv Arora, will also be battling it out for the title and a place in the Indian contingent for the Asian Games.
The quarter-finalists from the playoffs, who will be fighting it out to compete in the DotA 2 finals are: Team Whoops, Serene Chaos, 1 Misal 3 Pav, Team Avengers, DMC, Digicont, Stylish Gamers and New Gods. As there are only four teams (Temple of Kings, Support No Vision, Pineapple Cake and Coco Cats) registered for esports title League of Legends, all four are directly clashing in the semi-finals of the national qualifiers.
The winners of NESC ’22 will participate in the AESF’s Road to Asian Games – Regional Qualifiers (June–July, 2022), which are being held for seeding at the main event in China. The ESFI is live streaming the thrilling action of the NESC ’22 on its official YouTube channel.
