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The Valorant esports scene in India has been nothing less than a steam roller when it comes to becoming one of the more popular PC titles in the region.
The entire foundation of an IP’s esports scene is often built on the connections that every cog and screw of the industry makes along the way. And no one knows this fact better than the professional players themselves.
So when talking about his journey through the quagmire of the Indian esports landscape, Ganesh “SkRossi” Gangadhar opens up about the memories of the connections he has made along the way.
And in an interview with Sportskeeda’s Abhishek Mallick, the Global Esports star lays bare the future he envisions for his professional career.
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“Jett in Valorant is my favorite Agent as she suits my playstyle”: SkRossi
Q. Starting as a professional esports player may not have been the easiest thing for you. Tell us a bit about yourself, how you got started, and what apart from Counter-Strike made you feel that this is the career path to choose.
SkRossi: I got my first PC after completing my 10th, and that's when I found two games that I play even now and enjoy the most - b2o Gunz and Dota2. Honestly, I didn't face any issues, thanks to God and the people around me who have always supported me.
I was lucky enough to find the right people. I was in the right place at the right time to do what I love. I didn't play games to make a career, I played them because I just enjoyed playing. Even now, regardless of which games I play, I always play the game I enjoy the most and be myself, and I think that made me good at whatever I do or whatever I play.
But when I represented India in Indonesia when I was 18 years old in a game called Piercing Plow (Point Blank) in the world league, I felt like this is what I should do, competing at a higher level. I just like that competitive feel and try to be the best in whichever game I play.
Q. Were your parents supportive of your decisions when you finally broke the news to them?
SkRossi: There was a time when I had to skip three of my semester exams to attend the world league in Indonesia. Before that, I twice lost the chance to represent my country in a world league due to a few of my teammate's passport issues.
At that time, my parents saw me crying and being sad for days. As I was very young at that time, I felt I'd lost everything, so when I told them I wanted to skip my exams and attend the world league, they were okay with it. Even now, as long as I am not causing harm to anyone, they are okay with what I do.
They want to see me happy with what I do, but even though I am getting good results, earning money by playing games, I have been given a timeline by my parents. Before that, I need to achieve my goals, or else people might see me not competing full time.
Q. Your journey in the Indian professional CS: GO scene has been rather grind-heavy. You played a lot of ESLs when starting out, and that is where you met your fellow teammate Kiran "Rossi" R. How were the initial days for you as a young esports professional?
SkRossi: To be honest, it wasn't grind-heavy, and I played my first ESL tournament when I had like 1000 hours in CS: GO. Since then, I started grinding too much because it was so much fun to play FACEIT pugs or play tournaments against the best players in the region to see myself improving hour by hour, day by day, figuring out multiple situations in the game.
As for my initial days as an esports player, nobody knew how I played, and I was so new to the game. It was terrific competing against teams and players who were playing for a long time. Winning tournaments, traveling to different cities, competing against the best teams in front of the audience, earning respect, making fans, spending time with teammates apart from playing games, making new friends, making memories, it was an exciting journey.
Q. Tell us about your journey with Wings. And it was when the Bengaluru scene did not look as promising as the Mumbai one. Tell us about some hurdles you faced at the time. What provided the most challenges, and how did you deal with it?
SkRossi: So, Wings was not a sponsored team, and we faced lots of financial issues that harmed team practice and boot camping. I would say that was the most challenging part for us was practicing for 8 hours a day to catch up with the people who are already good at this game.
Because in Bengaluru, we didn't have any esports organizations that wanted to invest at that time. But we met a guy called Raja, a CS 1.6 player and was passionate about gaming.
He gave us discounts at his cyber cafe and organized tournaments with his own money from where we could win and earn money to practice. He indirectly funded our practice till we got into an organization called Bl4ze Esports.
Q. Can you shed some light on the entire BL4ze Esports project? How was it able to come to fruition with Agneya "Marzil" Koushik at the helm?
SkRossi: So, BL4ze was my first organization, and it was my first time playing in a team without my friends as co-players because Team Wings was formed by friends.
But there I was, meeting a few new people and representing an organization, so it was exciting. Like I mentioned previously, I was always in the right place and met the right people.
I would say half the knowledge of FPS games I have right now is from Marzil. He has taught me lots in the game and out of the game, on being a better person.
Marzil is the best person I have met in my gaming career because the way he took care of the entire team, and me, both in-game and out of the game, is something I will never forget.
Q. Throughout much of your career in CS: GO, you played with Rossi. Tell us about the bond between the two of you. What is the synergy like after having played with each other for so long?
SkRossi: Meeting a guy who plays the same game you play and with the same nick as yours, and with the same amount of talent, hunger and dedication is something I think impossible, but it is the truth. People saw us as brothers when we were playing CS: GO in the same team, and so do we.
Playing with Rossi is so comfortable as we played together for a very long time. Sometimes, we don't even need to communicate what we do because we understand each other really well in the game as teammates. He is more than just a teammate to me.
Q. How does your time on Global Esports compare with your time on Wings?
SkRossi: My time with Global Esports is really good and chill as I have to only worry about playing and worrying about stuff in the game.
I love playing with some of the best and experienced players in the country and representing one of the country’s best organizations with a considerable fan base.
Most importantly, our boot camp is about to start, and I can’t wait to practice with the rest of my teammates and make a lot of content for my audience.
Q. While you transitioned to Valorant, Rossi did not. How does it feel to be in Riot’s tactical shooter without him?
SkRossi: I will always enjoy playing games and competing regardless of who I am playing with. I love playing games regardless of which game it is, and for Rossi, he is in love with a particular game, CS: GO. So yeah, I support him for that, and he is a beast in CS: GO.
Q. What prompted the move to Valorant? How far do you see it going in the Indian esports ecosystem?
SkRossi: Valorant is the only game I’ve started with the world, from the very beginning, because in the other games that I’ve competed in, like Dota 2, Piercing Blow, CS: GO, people were already good at them.
Globally, people were so ahead that I thought it would take a lot of time to reach those heights. So I switched to Valorant just to start the new game with the rest of the world.
Looking at things going now, even with COVID-19, I think Valorant has a bright future in India and is bringing a lot of new players, more viewership than other PC games, and more organizations to support players.
Q. What are your thoughts on the current CS: GO scene in India? Do you see it making a comeback anytime soon?
SkRossi: It’s hard to see a comeback for the CS: GO scene in India. Even though teams are playing and tournaments are happening, it doesn’t look promising.
Q. CS: GO vs Valorant, which of the two do you enjoy more?
SkRossi: I enjoy Valorant more because I didn’t start as an FPS player, I began with Dota 2, playing with abilities and stuff. I see that in Valorant, which combines both FPA and Agents’ abilities, it’s just fun to play.
Q. Who is your favorite Agent and why?
SkRossi: Jett is my favorite Agent because the abilities suit my playstyle, and it enables my full potential. I also like to use the Operator a lot, so the Agent is perfect for me.
Also, she’s very cute!
Q. Is there anything you would like to tell the next generation of esports enthusiasts?
SkRossi: Stay loyal, be humble, and always have a backup plan before going full-time in esports.
Respect people who have been in the scene for a very long time and have given their best for esports' growth. Give your 100% in every game every day, and keep track of your performances.
Always ask yourself, would you like to have a teammate like you in your team? And you will find the answer, and you will grind even more to get better every day.
Good luck to you all. Everyone is free to have dreams. Keep grinding and keep supporting #GEFIGHTING!
