India's League of Legends team returns to Asiad with Hangzhou lessons

At 24, Akshaj Shenoy is heading back to the Asian Games as captain of India's League of Legends team. But becoming a professional player was never part of the original plan.He started playing for fun. Then came the tournaments, better opponents and more time spent understanding the competitive side of the game. There was no single moment when he decided esports would become a profession.“It happened gradually as I got better opportunities and started seeing how far I could take it,” Shenoy told Timesofindia.com.By the time India reached the Asian Games in Hangzhou, Shenoy was studying Economics, Sociology and Industrial Relations while playing professionally and coordinating practice with teammates based in different cities.Three years on, he is returning as the captain and four of the six players who will represent India in League of Legends at Aichi-Nagoya were part of the Hangzhou campaign, where India finished fifth.