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The league stage of eISL's first season has drawn to a close and the Grand Finals commenced on 14 March 2022. The four teams competing in the Grand Finals are Mumbai City FC, Chennaiyin FC, SC East Bengal, and FC Goa.
Ashwin Kalyan is one of the players representing Mumbai City FC. In conversation with Sportskeeda Esports’s Debolina Banerjee, Ashwin talks about the competitive scenario of FIFA, his eISL experience, and his love for Mumbai City FC.
Ashwin's experience in eISL
Q. The life of a professional FIFA player must be both challenging and rewarding. Tell us about your journey in the esports world so far.
Ashwin: Well, to be frank, this is my first LAN event and eISL is one of the toughest and most competitive leagues in India. I had not played FIFA professionally before as I was a casual gamer and adapting to this kind of lifestyle is very different.
Of course, being a professional is rewarding in a lot of ways, but it is also challenging and testing every individual. I must say that my first season as a competitive FIFA player has been exciting. It has been an amazing esports journey filled with ups and downs, meeting new friends, and adapting to a new lifestyle. These moments are something to cherish!
Q. What is your take on the Indian esports scenario when it comes to sports games? Does it get enough attention?
Ashwin: While the complex esports industry may be daunting for investors, it is growing exponentially and has already amassed a large, global audience. I believe esports will rival the biggest traditional sports leagues in terms of future opportunities, and between advertising, ticket sales, licensing, sponsorships and merchandising, there are tremendous growth areas for this nascent industry.
India, however, was not getting enough attention like other nations who are at the top in the esports scenario, but in the recent past, we have been doing a great job in the industry. A lot of new and evolving talents are coming out to showcase how good they are in gaming.
Q. Which version of FIFA has been your favorite and why? What formation are you most comfortable with while playing competitively?
Ashwin: Everyone likes to win all the games they play, but only a few people are really competitive. I realized I had to prove my worth and decided to become more challenging for others by taking up FIFA slightly more seriously than before. I started playing small FIFA 21 tournaments online. FIFA 22 has been my best FIFA till date as I have dominated most of the opponents I have faced, both offline and online.
For the past couple of years, I have been playing 4-4-2 (2) second variations, which helps me the most based on my game style, but I also play 4-2-3-1 at times to help myself.
Q. Despite being from Chennai, you represent Mumbai City FC. Is there a slight regret for not being able to represent your home city? What has your experience in eISL been like so far?
Ashwin: Everyone always has that slight partiality for their home club. Yes, unfortunately I couldn’t be a part of Chennaiyin FC this year, but Mumbai City FC has given me so much that I already feel like [I have] a second home here. Mumbai City FC players and fans have always supported us throughout our entire journey and we are sure we will make them proud by winning it for them.
eISL is a life-changing decision according to me. Staying in a bubble with people you have only met online, adapting to a new lifestyle, and playing FIFA professionally is something most of us have not experienced before. eISL has given me a lot of points to take away which will surely help me in my future endeavors.
Q. Mumbai City FC has been consistently amongst the top four teams in the league standings and your team has already qualified for the Grand Finals. Is there anything special in terms of preparations that you are focusing on?
Ashwin: To be honest, we had a tough start to the tournament. We kept following a pattern where we had two losses, three wins followed by two losses and three wins in the first half of the tournament. We wanted to change this and keep up the momentum in the second half in order to qualify for the playoffs. We always had the calm and composure within ourselves, where we took each and every game individually. Looking at the game way ahead of us was something that we did not enhance. We have no specific preparations for the playoffs as of now, but we always need to stick to our basics and play our A game whenever we go out there in order to secure the win.
Q. Who do you consider to be the greatest competitor in your quest to win the Grand Finals of the game?
Ashwin: Chennaiyin FC is the team I consider to be the greatest competitor to qualify for the Grand Finals. They always play without any fear against whoever they face. Moreover, if you look at their squad, they have two of the most experienced players in their lineup. They are always threatening to play against each other, and even in the league stages, they have been performing at their top level.
Q. Out of all the matches played in eISL so far, which match did you consider to be the toughest? Do you have a favorite moment that you would like to highlight?
Ashwin: So far, I have played 21 games in the eISL, including one game in the playoffs. The playoff game against Navin at Chennaiyin FC was the toughest game I have ever played in FIFA. The playoff pressure along with the caliber of Navin was very difficult to play against and it was so tiring to play that game.
In that specific game, I made a goalline clearance in the 116th minute in the second half of extra time and scored a 120th-minute winner in the counter following that. Navin was unlucky in that game when I scored three points and gave the advantage to Mumbai City FC.
Q. The best player from the winning team of eISL will get a direct entry to the FIFA Global Series (FGS) 2022. Is that your ultimate goal? How different will this tournament be compared to eISL in terms of gameplay?
Ashwin: First of all, eISL providing a platform for players to go to the FIFA Global Series 2022 is fantastic. Everyone likes to represent their nation at a higher level, and I personally feel FGS is a very big opportunity which is in front of us. Yes, I would like to take part in FGS 2022 but that’s a long way off.
There is a difference in gameplay. While eISL is played on a PS4, FGS takes place on a PS5. In order to compete at the highest level, you need to perform to the best of your ability on both the versions and it will surely be very difficult to adapt to that particular game-style.
Q. Since FIFA is one of the medal events in the 2022 Asian Games, do you have any plans to take part in it?
Ashwin: I am a person who always sees things that are in front of my eyes at that particular moment. Right now, my entire focus is on eISL and winning the title for Mumbai City FC. The other tournaments that are coming up, I would concentrate more on that at that particular time, not now.
Q. What is your message to the Mumbai City FC fans who ardently want your team to win?
Ashwin: Mumbai City FC fans have always been special. They are also one of the main reasons why we stand, and they have been supporting us constantly and throughout. A special message to the fans from my side would be: “Keep supporting us, guys. We shall bring the trophy home for you. Football is nothing without the fans. You guys make us special. You guys make us. Aamchi Mumbai. Aamchi City.”
