The Indian DOTA 2 team pulled off an incredible performance to win the bronze medal at the first-ever Commonwealth Esports Championship on Sunday. The victory comes after the Asian Games 2018, where Tirth Mehta also won the bronze medal in esports (demonstration title).
The Indian DOTA 2 team with Moin Ejaz (captain), Ketan Goyal, Abhishek Yadav, Shubhnam Goli, and Vishal Vernekar took down New Zealand 2-0 in a best-of-three match. The Kiwis had a dominant start to the game but the Indians held the game and won the first two rounds by claiming the enemy’s ancient with their intense gameplay and strategies.
Earlier in the DOTA 2 event, India registered a convincing victory against Wales and got a bye against Trinidad and Tobago. They then lost to England and went on to suffer another defeat in the semi-final against Malaysia’s team and hence ended with a bronze medal match with New Zealand, which the team won convincingly.
Talking about the final, the captain of the team Moin Ejaz was extremely elated with this performance and talked about what this medal portrays for the Indian Esports scene. He said, “this win symbolizes the amount of hard work the team has put in over the years and we dedicate this win to our country. Winning a medal at the Commonwealth was a dream for us and we’re super proud as a team. We were very much aware before leaving for Birmingham that the tournament was going to be tough. Keeping in mind the intensity and level of the game on such an international platform, each and every team member gave their best shot during the practice sessions.”
Ejaz also expressed gratitude towards the Esports Federation of India for their constant support in their journey. He said, “We have invested a lot of time in preparing the strategies and improving our gameplay, which finally culminated in this win. We would like to thank the Esports Federation of India (ESFI) and Lokesh Suji Sir for their continuous support, motivation & encouragement. We hope that this win will encourage more tournaments around DOTA 2 and other esports titles, which will help the ecosystem as a whole to grow in our country.”