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After a month of intense competition across different esports titles, the National Esports Championships 2022 is entering its final stages. After confirming FIFA 22 and Street Fighter V contenders for the Asian Games, Indian representatives for Hearthstone and League of Legends also emerged.
For the first time ever, esports has been included as a medal event at the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou, China. This has opened up the opportunity for players and teams to represent the country in Asiad.
Asian Games 2022 esports: Shikhar Chaudhary and Team Temple of Kings secure spots at the National Esports Championships 2022
Shikhar Choudhary faced off against Karthik Varma Vegesna
The Hearthstone tournament at NESC 22 saw some of the country’s best face off against each other. After an intense playoff stage, Shikhar Choudhary faced Karthik Varma Vegesna in the finals. Shikhar won the match with a final score of 3-1 and 3-2. After winning, he shared,
"This moment gives me a sense of accomplishment and honor that my diligence and commitment finally paid off. NESC’22 was an apex event of Hearthstone since it showcased all the titans of India. NESC’22 as I envisioned, was a tough grind and winning it was a momentous achievement for me. Asian Games 2022 is going to be a huge test of my ability as all of my competitors are masters of their trade. Tirth got us the first medal in this title in the 2018 Asiad; I am going to put every ounce of energy this time into getting the gold medal for my country and continuing the medal run."
He further elaborated:
"I also want to acknowledge the Hearthstone India community for their support, and I believe that the road ahead will be a cumulative effort from the community. The Asiad will be a portentous evaluation of my skill but I have a firm belief in my zeal and hard work. And finally, thanks to ESFI for organizing the qualifiers efficiently."
Both Shikhar Choudhary and Karthik Varma Vegesna have qualified for the Asian Games and will be representing the country.
Temple of Kings wins the League of Legends tournament
The NESC 22 saw four teams face off in the playoff stage in hopes of qualifying and representing India at the Asiad. Temple of Kings, one of the most prominent League of Legends teams, faced Team Coco Cats in the grand finals.
Temple of Kings compromised of:
- Akshaj Shenoy (captain)
- Samarth Arvind Trivedi
- Mihir Ranjan
- Aditya Selvaraj
- Aakash Shandilya
- Sanindhya Malik
Temple of Kins won 3-0 comfortably in the best-of-five grand finals. After winning, captain Akshaj expressed his excitement ahead of the 2022 Asian Games by saying,
"We are really happy that we made it out of really competitive national qualifiers for the tournament. It’s an honor to be part of Team India at a global level and represent India at the prestigious Asian Games. It’s a dream come true for all of us and the full credit for this feat goes to all my team members. A special note of thanks to ESFI for handling the qualifiers with such ease and providing the Indian MOBA community with such an amazing opportunity. Representing one’s country is not what everyone gets to do quite often, It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity; we look forward to getting a medal and making India proud."
Temple of Kings will be representing Team India in League of Legends at the 2022 Asian Games.
All qualified Indian contingents for the Asian Games 2022 esports
After being a showcase event at the 2018 Asiad, esports has been included as a medal event in the 2022 Asian Games. The esports included in the event are as follows:
- Arena of Valor
- Dota 2
- Dream of the Three Kingdoms 2
- FIFA
- Hearthstone
- League of Legends
- PUBG Mobile
- Street Fighter V
The qualified teams so far are as follows:
FIFA22
- Charanjot Singh
- Karman Singh Tikka
Street Fighter V
- Mayank Prajapati
- Ayan Biswas
Hearthstone
- Shikhar Choudhary
- Karthik Varma
League of Legends - Team Temple of Kings
- Akshaj Shenoy (Captain)
- Samarth Arvind Trivedi
- Mihir Ranjan
- Aditya Selvaraj
- Aakash Shandilya
- Sanindhya Malik
With Arena of Valor and PUBG mobile banned in the country, ESFI brought the opportunity for players to qualify for and represent India in multiple categories.
