'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Most gamers will remember the colossal cheating scandal that rocked the Indian CS: GO fraternity back in October 2018. Nikhil "Forsaken" Kumawat was one of the most popular professionals in the country. Although rumours about his cheating had persisted, he hadn't been banned due to a lack of evidence.
In early 2018, he has gotten selected for the newly set up OpTic India's all-star CS: GO roster, which was led by Vishal "haiVaan" Sharma. Other members included Antidote and Marzil, all highly-talented professionals who had made quite a name for themselves. However, the team was disbanded after the eXTREMESLAND 2018 Finals, when Forsaken was finally caught.
It was later revealed that he had cheated in multiple previous tournaments, including the ESL India Premiership 2018 Fall Finals, which was subsequently replayed. Since then, Forsaken has deleted all his social media accounts, and spoke out publicly only once.
The Story of Forsaken: Where is the former CS: GO pro now?
It is no secret that his CS: GO debacle caused damage to the entire Indian gaming scene. It devalued Indian competitors and raised questions on the ability of the country's organisations to control cheaters. When Forsaken finally spoke out, he blamed nobody but himself for the scandal.
He revealed nobody in his team or coaching staff knew that he had been cheating for a long time. The reason that Forsaken cited was that he did not have confidence in his 'aiming abilities', and wanted to give his best for the tournament. Furthermore, he said that he regretted the day he started playing CS: GO, and wants to delete it from his existence.
Regardless, not much is known about his current whereabouts. Recently, we saw Indian YouTuber HydraFlick, whose real name is Rohan Ledwani, speak at length about Forsaken with haiVaan, who was captain of the OpTic India CS: GO team.
According to Vishal, Forsaken hasn’t spoken to any of his former teammates since the debacle. He even travelled alone after the tournament, and hasn’t kept in touch with anybody from the CS: GO scene. When inquired about the reason for the cheating, haiVaan said that he wasn’t sure, but was aware of the issues Forsaken was facing adjusting to PCs.
haiVaan added that he was very hard-working, and would keep practising for hours together.
You can watch the entire clip below:
