If securing the title of "the best" in a competitive video game is hard enough, then holding onto that mantle is another ball game all together.However, India's very own Clash Royale superstar, Karan “Jin Kazama” Manganani, makes it look like one of the easiest things to pull off, even when surrounded by some of the best oppositions in the competitive scene.In an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda Esports' Abhishek Mallick, Karan opens up on some of the hurdles on his road to becoming India's best Clash Royale esports athlete, and also on what it takes to hold on to the crown.Here is an excerpt of the conversation.Q. Karan, you have often been hailed as the best Clash Royale player in India, and your journey to the very top was most definitely not an easy one. So can you talk to our readers about the hurdles that you faced along the way and what inspired you to keep achieving new heights in the game?Karan: Achieving the title of “one of the best" is a very difficult task. The competition is fierce. I’m going up against millions of players across the country, and the latent difficulty that comes with it is the struggle to hold onto the title.In my opinion, being consistent is the most difficult trait than becoming the best. The kind of attitude and mindset you need to hold onto the 1st position is the difference between a good player and the best player in the nation.Being a gamer in India already comes with a lot of challenges in itself. A player has to face these if he wants to pursue esports. My main challenges are:The recognition and acceptance from my family, and their support.The availability of resources which is necessary to compete and be in this industry.The income of a professional player to be accepted and valued.Getting recognized in this industry poses as the greatest challenge. It personally took me 2-3 years to get recognized in the industry and in the community at the same time.I will say that the hunger to win and become the best in the world inspired me to grind day and night. So, you need to have that kind of determination and will-power to make sacrifices if you want to reach the road to glory.Q. Who is Karan Manganani outside of the Clash Royale server? Tell us a bit about your hobbies, and what your relationship was like with video games while growing up.Karan: I personally like to balance my life, both inside and outside the game. I balance my studies, my passion, my esports career, my relationships, all at the same time.Outside Clash Royale, I’m an active individual who has many types of interests and hobbies, so I am generally determined to be an all rounder.Some of my hobbies:I am a fitness enthusiast. I play football, and I work out every day to keep myself fit, which helps me to improve my attitude and mindset and ultimately gives my training hours of Clash Royale a significant boostI’m also into music, as it helps me relieve any kind of stress during my training sessions. But rather than listening, I play instruments. I play Guitar and Mouthorgan at a good level.I also like to keep my brain sharp and absorb as much knowledge as possible, which results in increased productivity throughout the day. I additionally read a lot of novels, and any text I can get my hands on.My relationship with video games has been intact since childhood. I still remember the time I got my first PC when I was eight, and I played Super Mario for the first time.I gradually started playing different kinds of games, which helped me discover my forte and the niche that I can be the best in.Since I like cerebral games, I discovered that RTS (Real Time Strategy) is my niche, as it forces me to think on my feet and play a very fast paced game style, similar to speed chess.Q. I am aware that your parents are quite supportive of your career choice in professional gaming. What’s the dynamic like back at home? How do your parents feel about your incredible achievements?Karan: The support from my parents has been quite good, and it has helped me maintain a positive mindset.Knowing that my parents will approve of my choices, I will say, in this scenario at least, that “actions speak louder than words.” My parents were quite skeptical when I started back in the day, but once I started winning and bringing laurels nationally and internationally, the whole scenario changed.In hindsight, I feel it might have just been their protective nature and concern that brought on the skepticism, as I was around 17-18 at the time.As of today, I can say that my parents support me a lot and are proud of all of my achievements, and this further motivates me a lot to keep grinding and bring more championships in a bag.