Indian Valorant Community at Odds Over Importing Players from Abroad

Recently, Indian Valorant organizations, including Reckoning Esports and Revenant Esports, have been signing foreign players to their rosters to bolster their lineups ahead of the 2023 competitive circuit kicking off. Global Esports’ former analyst and coach, Malav “Rexdreams” Popat, recently stated that it was “unfortunate” to see organizations prioritizing “imports” over “developing/finding talent in the region.”

Following this, multiple prominent stakeholders in the Indian esports industry, including Global Esports’ Ganesh “SkRossi” Gangadhar, S8UL Esports’ manager Siddhant “Sid” Joshi, Orangutan Gaming’s Head of Esports Vinay “Hades” Rao and Velocity Gaming’s founder Manoj “Sentinel” Kashyap spoke about the matter and explained why organizations may turn their heads toward foreign players instead of exploring the local talent.

Hades believes that most Indian players are lazy

Vinay “Hades” Rao, head of esports at Orangutan Gaming, stated that he believes 90% of Indian players are “lazy and just want to make money.” He suggested that importing players from other countries can help maximize the chances of the remaining 10% of dedicated players to excel and also motivate non-professional players to strive to become one of them.

However, Rexdreams suggested an alternative approach of focusing on signing the 10% of Indian players that are dedicated and motivated instead of importing players to encourage the other 90% to perform well, and will be a cheaper and more effective solution. Hades replied that other esports organizations have already signed that 10% of players and the remaining are yet to prove themselves.

Popular Indian Valorant star SkRossi also shared his thoughts on the topic by raising concerns about the decision to sign lazy players by offering them large contracts. He suggested that the investment would be better utilized if it were directed toward average players who would put in the effort and hard work.

Sid hopes signing foreign players will force Indian players to work harder

Indian esports veteran Sid stated that very few Indian players put in the same level of effort as foreign players and that esports organizations, whose primary focus is esports, must prioritize winning and if they have the resources, signing foreign players will always be a better option. 

In response to Sid, Rexdreams pointed out that the investment in imports has not worked out well for Indian esports organizations, except for a few successful cases. He questioned the decision of organizations to pay higher salaries and go through logistical issues for signing foreign players when they are not getting the desired results.

Sid replied that this “gamble” is still worth it if the organization can afford it. He also highlighted that the real problem lies in some of the unsuccessful players from the Indian Counter Strike: Global Offensive (CSGO) scene, who are still gatekeeping and taking up spots in some of the Indian Valorant teams, despite their lack of motivation. He suggested removing these players would open up opportunities for more talented homegrown players to shine. Sid also hopes that one day, foreign players will completely dominate the Indian esports scene, as it will serve as a wake-up call for Indian players to work harder. 

He acknowledged that in the last decade of Indian esports history, very few players had made an international name for themselves, with only a few exceptions, such as Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI) talents and Global Esports’ star Valorant player Ganesh “SkRossi” Gangadhar.

VLT founder highlights the skill gap between Indian and Southeast Asian players

Sentinel suggested that Indian players were far behind in skill level compared to Southeast Asian players and that the skill gap between them could not be easily bridged. He emphasized that this required a significant amount of hard work, which the majority of Indian players were not willing to put in. He also noted that very few players in India were willing to put in the effort required to reach the level of their Southeast Asian counterparts.

Rexdreams acknowledged that a skill gap does exist, but he stated that it could be easily bridged through the collective efforts of players, coaches, and analysts. He again stressed that investing in Indian players is much more financially feasible for organizations.

Rexdreams, on the other hand, had acknowledged that a skill gap did exist, but he believed that it could be easily bridged through the collective efforts of players, coaches, and analysts. He also stressed that investing in Indian players was much more financially feasible for organizations. This approach would not only help bridge the skill gap but also provide more opportunities for local players to develop and showcase their skills.

SkRossi believes that this gap can be bridged

Ganesh “SkRossi” Gangadhar weighed in by stating that a huge gap exists between Indian players and foreign talents, but believes that the gap can be bridged as long as players are willing to put their heads down and work hard.

SkRossi also added that he had made numerous mistakes in this period, but still, he managed to win multiple tournaments in India. He added, “I realized how bad all of us play compared to others around the world.” He stated that a solid team could be built with the help of a good coach and players with a minimum level of skill but a willingness to learn.