SportPosted at: Apr 1 2021 5:46PM eAthletes prepare for AIFF eFootball semi-finals
New Delhi, Apr 1 (UNI) After competing against top 16 eAthletes of the country, the four semi-finalists are gearing up for the AIFF eFootball Challenge semifinal, scheduled on Friday.
With the ultimate prize of representing India at FIFA’s flagship tournament - the FIFAe Nations Series 2021 (FeNS21) on offer, it cannot get any bigger than this for these young eAthletes.
''Reaching the top two should mean everything to an athlete because representing your country at this stage is probably the biggest achievement you can have. And all these four years (of gaming), I think it all comes down to this, to be honest,'' said Lokmanyu Chaturvedi (24), the Delhi-based eAthlete.
His opponent Vignesh (22), who hails from Chennai, agrees with that assessment.
''It’s a huge opportunity for all of us Indian players. In other tournaments it's mostly about the cash prize but here you get to represent India and that’s the main thing,'' said Vignesh.
In the other semi-final, top-seeded player Charan Jot Singh (18) from Chandigarh will go up against 'good friend', Siddh Chandarana (20).
''We’re very good friends and play each other in all tournaments. The nerves will always be there, but the pressure this time is on Charanjot since he’s the no 1 seed and all will expect him to go through,'' said Chandarana.
But the lad from Mumbai is pretty clear about what victory would mean for him, ''This would rank as the number one tournament I have ever won. Playing for your country, that sense of pride will always be unmatched. To play for India in the Finals will be an absolute thrill for every player.''
Meanwhile, Singh isn’t shying away from calling it what it is, a 'do-or-die' encounter.
''If I lose I’m out, if I win I’ll be representing India on the International level. This is like a do-or-die match. It would be a thing of pride to represent your country on an international level against other big countries and hopefully if I qualify, me and my teammate can bring the trophy home to India,'' he said.
The semi finals will be streamed live on the Indian Football Team’s Facebook & YouTube pages.
The schedule for the rest of the tournament is as follows:
Semi-Final 1: Charan Jot Singh vs Siddh Chandarana, April 2 - 1500 hrs
Semi-Final 2: Lokmanyu Chaturvedi vs Vignesh B, April 2 - 1700 hrs
Finals: April 4
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