IN: So for the benefit of the reader, tell us a bit about yourself.

My name’s Saransh Jain and I’m currently 17 years old. I’m studying commerce in Pune and am a professional FIFA player alongside. So far I’ve won three national titles and represented India internationally, today I’ll be talking to Indiannoob about my journey.

2018 was especially a good year, with me participating in and winning multiple tournaments in and outside India. These include:

• Asian football gaming championship (Singapore) (AFGC)
  July 14-15th 2018
• AFGC qualifiers Kolkata
  June 24th 2018
• GamingMonk Grand finale Delhi
  July 29th 2018
• Indian LAN Gaming Cup Grand finale Bangalore
  15-16th December 2018

IN: When and how did you Professional FIFA career began?

The journey began more than a year ago, back in November 2017, when my brother and I went to a tournament held in Pune just to have fun, we ended up meeting each other in the finals, it was a huge surprise for everyone to see two unknown people come in and dominate the Pune FIFA scene.

IN: How was 2018 as a year for you professionally?

Having played professionally for two months in 2017 I’d already gained some experience, but most players had been doing it for quite a few years.

My main aim starting out was to perform well in the big tournaments and just make myself known, proving that even though I’m young, I have the caliber of performing well. 2018 was a fantastic year overall, as I gradually made my way to the top.

IN: How do you balance all the practice, traveling, online/offline competition that comes with being a professional FIFA player with maintaining your everyday lifestyle?

It’s hard to balance both obviously, studies as well as FIFA. But with the help of my parents as well as GamerAPE, the team I’m currently signed with it’s become a lot easier. The support of my parents and friends has been unreal right from the start, thus, maintaining my everyday lifestyle alongside FIFA is possible.

IN: If you weren’t a professional FIFA eSports player, what would you be doing right now?

I always loved FIFA ever since I was young, if not for professional FIFA, I would’ve ended up doing an internship at an esports company while studying alongside. Thus, professional FIFA means a lot to me as it changed everything, it gave my life a new direction.

IN: What are your plans for 2019? How would you approach the year in regards to time and practice?

I hope that I’ll be able to do better than last year, it’s obviously going to be hard, but I’ve learned from my mistakes and I’m feeling pretty confident going into 2019, I’ll be able to give more time to FIFA after I’m done with my exams, it’s time for a break now to concentrate on my board exams but after that I’ll be sure to grind the game a lot more.

IN: What do you think is your biggest competition when it comes to FIFA esports?

All over India, there are a lot of good players, the biggest competition is staying consistent. Performing well in every tournament is not easy and something which everyone struggles with.

IN: Tell us about your personal FIFA 18 playstyle and how often (if ever) you have to alter this playstyle on short notice depending on your opponents, the situation of a match etc?

My FIFA 18 playstyle changed a lot over the course of the year, it’s necessary to change certain things when the game isn’t going your way, I had to try out different tactics based on the situation and opponent rarely, most of the times I try to stick to my own style, as I’m confident I’ll do well with it.

IN: Do you like to tinker with your team and formations game to game, or do you prefer to keep a particular XI and formation?

I personally like to experiment a lot with the formations depending on the gameplay, it’s easier to adapt for me to a new formation.

IN: What changes will you like to see in the FIFA esports scene in India?

The growth of FIFA esports scene has been very significant with more and more companies, players getting involved. The most important change I’d like to see is that tournaments are held on a regular basis and organized more professionally. The entire community should come together and help make the tournaments better.

IN: What advise do you have for someone looking to get into the pro FIFA scene in India?

Anyone who wants to get into FIFA professionally needs to invest more time into the game. Play with better players so as to improve your game and be calm mentally when things don’t go your way. Try to turn up for tournaments and try out your hands at any event, who knows what might happen.

Most people have this fear in their mind that they won’t be able to do well and hence avoid playing a tournament, but as everyone who plays FIFA might’ve heard, If you don’t buy a ticket, you won’t win the raffle.