Hemanth Kommu made his way into the Finals of 13th Esports World Championship after a brilliant performance in the Regional Qualifiers. 

With a top-position finish in PES 2021 in the South Asia Region, Hemanth also became the first Indian to seal a spot in the finals at the ongoing edition of the Esports World Championships. 

The Vijayawada resident, who is currently pursuing his Masters from IIT Guwahati, was up against the athletes from Pakistan, United Arab Emirates, Maldives, and Sri Lanka in his respective South Asian Region at the Regional Qualifiers which were held online owing to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. 

ALSO READ: India’s esports industry to be worth Rs 11 billion by 2025: Report

The 24-year-old Indian carried his winning form from the recent Nationals into this prestigious event and showed an excellent display of the strategic and skillful game. Hemanth registered convincing victories against his opponents before securing himself a berth in the World Championship Finals, which are scheduled to take place offline in Eilat, Israel from 14 November to 19 November.

“It’s a great feeling to represent India in the PES series, the game which I have loved playing since my childhood days. Its sheer dedication and hard work resulted in getting the spot in the Finals of EWC’21 and it allowed me a chance to bring the laurels for the country. The right mentality and proper grind towards the game make everything possible and a sure-shot path to get the success,” elated Hemant aka peshemak7 said after securing the finals berth at the World Championships.

ALSO READ: India’s esports industry set to paddle towards the mainstream

A five-member Team India CS:GO, comprising captain Ritesh Sarda, Shuvajyoti Chakraborty, Anshul Adardkar, Hrishikesh Shenoy and Harsh Jain, and Tekken 7 player Hitesh Khorwal will be seen in action in the Regional Qualifiers later as they will begin their quest for the place in the World Championship Finals on 5 October. 

Esports is gaining ground in the sports industry with its integration in mainstream sports globally. It is no longer just a part of the Asian Games; Esports has taken the lead by making it to the Olympics. But, Tokyo Olympics failed to consider this as a medaled event and included it as a pre-series event. At the same time, Asian Games left no stone unturned in giving it the recognition it deserves to get.

The matches will be streamed live on the International Esports Federation’s official channels.