Ganesh “SkRossi” Gangadhar is a 24-year-old professional Valorant player who is currently a part of Global Esports. He is a former CS:GO pro who has made a name for himself in Valorant and is regarded by many as the best player in South Asia. SkRossi took to Twitter to express his thoughts on Indian esports and how South Asian (SA) esports organizations need to invest in young talents.

The need to nurture the next generation of esports stars

Riot Games recently announced a college-level program (College Valorant) to help create the next generation of esports players who will compete in Valorant esports. But the program is currently only limited to North America. SkRossi feels that this is the right time for South Asian esports organizations to step in and invest in the youth. He knows that young players who are new to competitive esports will not be able to keep up with the best, but they need to have the opportunity to compete with the best so they can grow into the next generation of pro players that succeed on the international stage.

SkRossi, who has competed extensively on the international stage, said on Twitter, “the players I competed against, most of them are a lot younger than me whether it's ranked or tournaments. But that's not the case in our country, kids (from other countries) are a lot hungrier and have less distractions in my opinion.”

He pointed out that players should not have their focus set on boot camps and high salaries alone, but on seeking guidance and earning opportunities to play with the best to become better players. SkRossi feels that the natural young talent in the country needs to be nurtured and their natural abilities to compete need to be enhanced through opportunities and experience created by the esports ecosystem.

More tournaments and scrims are the need of the hour according to Skrossi and it is the ecosystem’s responsibility to create a better future for our next generation of esports athletes. It remains to be seen if Riot Games’ collegiate-level program makes it to India or if more esports organizations create more academy programs that can serve as stepping stones for young players, instead of being just seasonal events once in a blue moon.

We need more programs like the ROG Academy and we need more esports organizations to offer guidance to players who want to compete against the best in professional esports. The esports scene as a whole needs to be more supportive of young rookies who aspire to play on the international stage and become future champions at major events.