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The Indian DOTA 2 team's podium finish at the inaugural Commonwealth Esports Championship 2022 was fraught with ups and downs. Featuring one win and one loss in the group stages, they made their way to the semi-finals, where they faced Malaysia in defeat.
That set them up for a bronze medal decider match against New Zealand. The DOTA 2 team kept their composure and nerves while managing to stamp out a historic 2-0 win.
I recently had the opportunity to strike up a conversation with the captain of the Indian DOTA 2 team, Moin Ejaz. It was interesting to learn about their mindset and preparations going into the tournament and especially the final match, among other things.
Here's an excerpt of the talk.
Moin Ejaz talks about the Indian DOTA 2 team's win at the Commonwealth Esports Championship 2022
Q. First of all, congratulations on the well-deserved win on the international stage. How does it feel to win a medal at the Commonwealth event?
Moin: I feel very happy because I have played in many other events before, but the respect you get for winning medals for your country is completely different. It is a matter of pride.
Q. What was the mindset and preparation for the team like going into the tournament? Were you guys at all nervous, given that it was the inaugural Commonwealth esports championship?
Moin: We were definitely nervous. The Malaysian and English DOTA 2 teams are very strong. They have some very famous players on their teams. We trained hard for it and prepared. In the event, we made some mistakes that cost us the game. We could have won a silver medal, I guess.
Three players on my team were playing for the first time in such an event. Playing on the big stage makes you nervous, and it was a new experience for them. Maybe in the next event, we will overcome that weakness and try to focus and give our 100%.
Q. How was the environment and ambiance at the event?
Moin: Everything was good. Many Indian supporters were present at the venue, supporting and cheering for us. Whenever we were winning, they were shouting and cheering for us, which was a great thing.
Even the management and scheduling from the Commonwealth Games was perfect.
Q. Despite one dominant performance and another hard-fought defeat, the match against Malaysia did not yield a positive result. What do you think went wrong in the two games?
Moin: We were pretty much expecting a hard fight as the Malaysian DOTA 2 team has been playing together for a year. They are well known in the DOTA 2 scene as well. They qualified for the DOTA Pro Circuit (DPC) Tier-2 recently, beating big teams like TNC and other good squads from Southeast Asia.
We made this team three months ago. In the game, we made a lot of mistakes and were not playing together. They are very experienced and clearly know how to take advantage of a mistake.
Q. Coming to the match against New Zealand, was there any added pressure on the boys since there was a commonwealth medal hanging in the balance? Did the team do anything special to prepare for the match?
Moin: We got two days off before the third-place match, so we got to prepare ourselves, especially mentally, for the match. We changed our strategy and gameplay as to how we were going to proceed in the game.
We discussed what we should be doing and the kind of mistakes we made in the match against Malaysia. All of these adjustments helped us win against New Zealand. We were confident that we would beat them because I knew all of their players, so I knew how each of them played and strategized accordingly.
Q. The first game marked a sublime Ember Spirit performance and an emphatic win. The second one was much more closely contested, especially with the fight for the second Roshan. Were you worried that the series was going to a decider anytime during the game?
Moin: The game was going very well and smoothly. We had a good lead, but then we all started making mistakes dying here and there, and then the Roshan fight happened. We thought we would take that Roshan and secure an easy win against them.
We did not expect them to smoke and contest the Roshan fight. My carry got shackled and stunned there. Even after we lost the Roshan fight, I was confident. I knew my Phantom Assassin was fat, so he was going to 1v5 later in the game.
In another fight, my carry panicked. It was his first tournament at such a stage, and he was tense about the game. Overall, it was a close and fun game. We were confident that we were going to win.
Q. What do you think was the critical moment for the shift in the second game’s momentum in India’s favor?
Moin: When we took the second or third Roshan, which they did not contest, we were very comfortable after that. We gained momentum again because of the Aegis and Roshan drops. But then we made one more mistake: We were not ready to fight for the next Roshan, and they took it.
That's when the game came very close. Towards the end, Puck used his orb in the bottom lane to catch Juggernaut, who died without a buyback. They lost the game after that point. At first, we thought it was an illusion. Puck used his spell, figured out it was the real one, and everyone teleported and killed him.
Q. It was heart-warming to see the jubilant Team India members on the stage after the win. Do you think you all will be able to replicate or even better the result at the upcoming 19th Asian Games?
Moin: We are definitely working on our weaknesses and looking at how we can strengthen our team. We also made some changes to the roster for the Asian Games because we played with a different lineup for the qualifiers.
We qualified with the player Krish, who is currently playing for TNC Predator, a professional DOTA 2 team. I think it will be completely different in the Asian Games.
Q. When we spoke last, you mentioned that DOTA 2 has recently seen a downfall in the overall number of players and tournaments in India. Do you think the positive result at the Commonwealth Esports Championship can turn the tide, or are there more steps necessary to rectify the situation?
Moin: Some of the events are coming back, and a lot of people have started playing DOTA 2 again after the Commonwealth Games. They are excited about how the game is growing again. I guess if they continue to play, the DOTA 2 scene will grow again.
