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The rise of FIFA esports in India over the last year has been well documented. AIFF's attempt to build a contingent for the eNational team kicked off with a 16-man tournament. In the end, four of the country's most talented FIFA players were selected as part of the eTigers.
Lokmanyu Chaturvedi, who has been making strides in the Indian FIFA scene for quite some time, is one of the four eNational team members. Lokmanyu represents Kerala Blasters FC in the ongoing eISL. Not only is he a skilled gamer, but he is equally adept at commentating and casting.
In conversation with Sportskeeda Esports' Yasho Amonkar, Lokmanyu describes his experience of playing on an unfavorable server, talks about his aspirations in the FIFA eNations Series, and shares his gratitude towards AIFF for taking positive steps to promote the esports culture in India.
"We may have a shot at finishing in the top 10 in FIFAe Nations, which will surely be our biggest achievement": Lokmanyu
Q) In the recent friendlies against Hong Kong, you commented and played simultaneously. Do you think it hinders your performance even by a tiny bit, or have you got used to it now because of streaming?
Lokmanyu: Actually, I didn't do both things simultaneously. We have played matches before, and the livestream was a deferred livestream. It was a novel experience for me as I'm not used to casting over a previous game that I played.
I've gotten used to streaming and commenting over my games now, and I enjoy it, but it does affect your performance if you're playing a competitive match. This is why many pro FIFA players switch off their camera or microphone when they're playing a competitive game.
Q) The encounter against Hong Kong was nail-biting. Although it was a friendly, none of the teams gave up till the last minute. How will such experiences help you in future tournaments?
Lokmanyu: The game against Hong Kong went down to the wire, and we ended up losing on penalties, but I think we played pretty well considering that Charanjot and I were playing together for the first time in a competitive friendly this year.
We have often played 1v1 friendlies against other nations, but this was the first 2v2 match that we played together.
These experiences will help us in future tournaments as we identify our mistakes and learn what we need to rectify going forward. They are quite helpful because that's how I've been able to reach the stage I am at today. I like to study and analyze my own performances because it helps me get better in the long run.
Q) Most of your matches in FIFA Ultimate Team are played on servers with favourable ping. How challenging was it to play on the Hong Kong server the other day?
Lokmanyu: Most of the matches we play in FIFA Ultimate Team are in a couple of game modes like Division Rivals and FUT Champions Weekend League. Even the friendly matches we play amongst ourselves have a better connection because of the shorter distance.
Playing on the Hong Kong server was challenging because we had to adapt and alter our playing style. For example, I had to play much slower than I usually can in good gameplay. It's difficult because it's almost unplayable sometimes when players are thousands of miles apart.
For the matches against Hong Kong, we played one game on their server and the next on ours, and the third and fourth games were played on the Singapore server. This format is challenging because our server favors us, and their server favours them, but as a player, it is interesting as you have to adapt to each situation.
Q) India is currently ranked 19th on the FIFAe Nations Ranking, making it the region's highest-ranked team. Realistically, where do you think we can finish at the end of the season?
Lokmanyu: We are extremely proud that India is ranked as high as 19th in the FIFAe Nations Ranking, considering that this is just our second year in FIFA esports officially.
Realistically, I would say that we are still learning and we are not as experienced as the top nations in the world like England, Germany, Netherlands and Portugal.
We are not far off them and will get there one day for sure, but for now, if we keep performing at this level, then finishing in the top 20 at the end of the season is a realistic target. If we can exceed this level, then who knows, we may have a shot at finishing in the top 10, which will surely be our biggest achievement.
Q) India has been playing well in the Play-Ins so far. How is the preparation shaping up for the matches scheduled in March? On a scale of 1-10, how optimistic are you about an impressive performance?
Lokmanyu: We have done well in the last couple of Play-Ins. As I said earlier, the connection also has a bearing on our preparation because sometimes it hinders us from playing the smooth, free-flowing FIFA that we want to play.
The preparation has been going well so far. We all practice together a lot. Our best possible combination at the moment is with Siddh and Charanjot, who have been doing well together. We are all working hard in practice and will assess the best combo for the next match when the time comes.
We have done well to play and defeat some high-ranked nations earlier and compete against countries that regularly play in LAN events against the best players in the world. In terms of being optimistic, I am quite happy with where we are now, and if I had to ascribe a number to it, I would say it's about a 7 or an 8 out of 10 right now.
Q) FIFA esports fans in India are gaining access to more and more content related to the competitive scene on AIFF's Twitch channel. What are your thoughts on AIFF's work to promote FIFA esports in India?
Lokmanyu: I think we have seen massive growth in the scale of FIFA esports in India in recent years. The official support now coming from the AIFF certainly adds to that.
All the work that has been done since last year, beginning with the AIFF eFootball Challenge to select and build the Indian team for the FIFAe Nations Series, has been a major boost to the scope of esports in India particularly in football.
As far as the Twitch channel is concerned, I am thrilled and honored to have the chance to host the AIFF e Studio Live. I think the AIFF has done a fabulous job at making more content around esports available to the masses, whether it is about upcoming events and activities or player interviews that give a chance to esports athletes to share their journey with the audience.
The second edition of the AIFF eFootball Challenge will also be streamed on the channel. I'm sure it will garner a lot of interest from professional and casual gamers across the country. Overall, promoting FIFA esports has been excellent from the federation's side.
We have also explored synergies with football, as we did a show with national team player Vinit Rai coming on stream as well. Therefore, I think the proactive approach from the AIFF has been spot on, and I'm delighted to contribute towards that from my end as well.
