CHENNAI: The name Ganesh Gangadhar may not incite any response, but call this 21-year-old by his gaming handle, Ganesh SkRossi, and all heads begin to turn. Ganesh is a well-known gamer in the country due to the many national and international laurels he has bagged over the years.
The 21-year-old began gaming at 16, when he got a desktop as a gift from his father following his class 10 board exams. The fifth-semester engineering student at KLE College Rajajinagar balances both academics and gaming with equal ease and spends seven hours every day on gaming, as he plans on taking it up as a career.
Ganesh is part of a team called Wings, which won the Piercing Blow National Championship (PBNC) thrice, which had a cash prize of Rs 5 lakh. The team also ranked seventh in the Piercing Blow International Championship (PBIC) held at Jakarta, Indonesia, and won $2,000.
“I was so excited and honoured to represent the nation in PBIC at Indonesia. The game was a great experience for all of us and we did our best,” he said.
Ganesh and his team also play Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS: GO) and is now the best team from south India and one of the top five teams in India. They won India’s largest multi-title international e-Sports tournament Cobx Masters 2018. The team has also won the Matka19 event hosted by BITS Pilani in Goa, with prize pool of Rs 1.25 lakh.
While one might think that playing in a team might be stressful, Gangadhar doesn’t feel so.
“Tough situations are exciting since that’s the moment you have to step up for the team with your best individual performance,” he explained.
Gangadhar’s teammate from Wings, Kiran R, added that Ganesh is the one who helps the team think positive even after their worst losses.
Ganesh adds that his mother has been a great support system for him and has stood by him even when people pointed fingers at his unusual interest.
The young gamer hopes to work hard and establish himself as the best gamer in the country. He plans to participate in the ILG Season 3, and ESL India Premiership. “Although I consider myself one of the best, I feel that’s there’s something to learn from every game,” he said.