The Indian CS: GO team will be leading the country’s charge at the IESF’s 14th World Esports Championship as they take on Tajikistan in their opener on December 2.

A team, comprising of skipper Ritesh Sarda (Defaulter), Shuvajyoti Chakraborty (Mcg1LLzZz), Anshul Adarkar (KiiLSwitCh), Hrishikesh Shenoy (Crazy_Gamer) and Harsh Jain (lynX) has been placed in the Group C along with Tajikistan, Team IESF and Chile. After their eighth-place finish in the last edition of the tournament held in Eilat, Israel, the team will be determined to clinch a podium finish this time around.

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Team India CS: GO, captain, Ritesh Sarda said “It’s been a great honour to represent India back-to-back in the WEC. We as a team are excited and prepared to play in the upcoming WEC starting next week in Bali. The world finals is going to be a huge spectacle. With the right mentality and proper grind, we have high hopes for the tournament and will try to bring the laurels to the country.”

CS: GO team to kick off India’s campaign on December 2 in the World Esports Championship

Organized by the International Esports Federation (IESF), the forthcoming 14th World Esports Championship is set to feature elite athletes hailing from more than 120 countries. The competition will encompass six distinct Esports titles, namely CS: GO, Dota 2, Tekken 7, and eFootball, along with newcomers PUBG Mobile and Mobile Legends: Bang Bang. With an impressive prize pool totalling USD 500K (equivalent to approximately INR 4 crores), the event is scheduled to take place in Bali from December 1 to 12. Notably, Team India comprises the same athletes who previously represented the country at the last World Esports Championship in Eilat, securing victory in the National Qualifiers (NESC2022).

In addition to their participation in CS: GO, India is also fielding teams in the Tekken 7 and eFootball categories.

“This is another great opportunity post the Commonwealth Esports Championship for India’s esports athletes to prove their metal. With Olympics also announcing “Olympic Esports Week”, esports is inching towards its Woodstock moment; and medals in events like CEC, WEC will help in establishing India as a dominant-esports powerhouse’ globally. This set of our athletes has great potential and we are confident that they will give a tough challenge to the world’s best and emerge victorious and make our glorious nation proud. I wish them all the very best and look forward to seeing them triumph in their respective titles” said Yugal Kishore Sharma, Director of the Esports Federation of India.

Hitesh Khorwal (Rcool) and Hemanth Kommu (Peshemak7) will represent India in the Tekken 7 and eFootball titles respectively.

Within Group E, Khorwal is poised to face off against athletes from Pakistan, Bahamas, Venezuela, and Palestine. His inaugural challenge is scheduled against Lucius Antoine of the Bahamas on December 3. Of particular interest is Khorwal’s subsequent match on the same day against Arslan Siddique of Pakistan. Arslan, a titleholder at VSFighting X, Dreamhack 2022, and Combo Breaker 2022 earlier this year, intensifies the excitement surrounding the competition.

“I am really glad that I will be representing India in WEC this year, this feeling is adorable and I can’t explain my emotions. WEC is always an arduous task for Tekken participants since our scene has progressed tremendously well and reached a new zenith. So it’s a moment to cherish for me. It creates a perfect scenery of success for me after putting my blood and sweat into this game. This time I am more devised for the WEC. As a mountain to climb it already is, I feel confident as well as prepared for this. It’s a great opportunity to prove my mettle against the literal virtuosos of the title and my body, soul and mind, is ready for it. Bring it on, Bali!” Hitesh expressed his excitement ahead of the World Championship Finals.

Kommu, on the other hand, will be competing against athletes from Kazakhstan, Armenia and Guinea in Group P. He will play his first match against Cheick Conde of Guinea on December 3.

“It’s an amazing feeling and honour to represent our country at the 14th WEC. It’s a huge opportunity for me to play at such a big event with the top players from different countries competing. I’m confident with my grind and will try my best to get the best results in the tournament and want to bring some glory from it back home.” Hemanth said while expressing his thoughts on getting the opportunity to represent India in the world finals.

In Tekken 7, the group stage matches will follow a best-of-three format, whereas CS: GO games will be played in a best-of-one format.

Following the conclusion of the group stage, the top two teams from each group will progress to the next round in the CS: GO and Tekken 7 categories. However, in eFootball, only the top team from each group will secure qualification for the subsequent stage.

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