Persistence and perseverance: The BENZENE story

Known to the gaming community as BENZENE, his journey from a curious 10th-standard student to one of India's dedicated Counter-Strike professionals embodies the spirit of perseverance that Indian Counter-Strike has long been aiming to attain. Born on May 11, 2001, BENZENE's introduction to Counter-Strike came through the offline world of Condition Zero, battling bots across different difficulty levels. Like many Indian gamers of his generation, his first taste of competitive gaming was solitary, methodical, and driven by pure curiosity.

It was a YouTube video showcasing case openings and weapon skins in Global Offensive that opened his eyes to the broader Counter-Strike universe. "Oh! What is this game? I've played this but it was different!" he recalls, capturing that moment of discovery that would reshape his future.

The transition from offline bot matches to online competitive play wasn't immediate. Hardware limitations meant enduring 20-30 FPS in his early days, a familiar struggle for many Indian gamers who make do with what they have. But BENZENE's determination never wavered. Once he upgraded his setup around 2017-2018, the real journey began, and with it came his first steps into the competitive scene.

What set BENZENE apart was his family's balanced approach to his gaming pursuits. Unlike many households where gaming is seen as a distraction, his family maintained a simple philosophy: as long as academic responsibilities were met, gaming could flourish. This understanding provided the foundation he needed to explore his passion without the burden of constant conflict; a luxury not all aspiring Indian esports athletes enjoy. "I was half decent at studies, I used to finish all my homework and then play so no one really said anything about it as long as I had all my bases covered." said BENZENE, looking back at his early Counter-Strike days.

His competitive awakening came in July of 2019 through the CS:GO Indian Community Facebook group, where a post seeking a teammate for a Delhi LAN caught his attention. Despite being in Lucknow, the prospect of playing on LAN was worth the journey. It was here he met Dushyanth, known as Hodor, who became his mentor in understanding team-based Counter-Strike. Though they didn't qualify for that first LAN, losing to GodParticles on Cache, the experience planted the seeds of his competitive ambitions.

He (Dushyant "Hodor") was teaching me a lot in the beginning, like how to play Counter-Strike in a team setting, how to fit into a team, etc. Back in the SOSTRONK days I would watch them (Hodor's team) play scrims and FACEIT pugs just to get an idea of the game in a structured environment. Hodor would often say that my playstyle was similar to Ember's
BENZENE recalls his early Counter-Strike days with Hodor

Hodor would often associate BENZENE with Ember for similar playstyle, thought process and approach. The Indian Counter-Strike scene was still budding and like BENZENE, there were a handful of others looking to hop on the Counter-Strike bandwagon but not many were willing to put in the time and effort that it would take to break into the competitive space. At the time, BENZENE's approach to the game was refreshingly tactical. While others chased individual glory in FACEIT pugs, he gravitated toward structured team play and strategic depth. The SOSTRONK era saw him observing scrims and matches, absorbing the nuances of competitive Counter-Strike rather than mindlessly grinding individual ranks. This analytical mindset would become his defining characteristic.

The entry-fragging role seemed tailor-made for him. Unlike players who chase statistics, BENZENE understood the role's true purpose: creating space and opportunities for teammates, even if it meant sacrificing personal glory. "I didn't really care if I top-fragged or bottom-fragged," he reflects, embodying the selfless attitude that strong teams require. His dedication to this role has remained consistent throughout his career, though it has evolved from pure entry fragging to a more nuanced second-fragger position.

The COVID-19 pandemic, which disrupted lives globally, actually provided BENZENE and his team with unprecedented practice opportunities. With everyone confined to their homes, they could dedicate six to eight hours daily to honing their craft. This period of intense preparation culminated in their strongest roster iteration and a few other big changes followed. While BENZENE and co. were grinding it out to reinstate Indian Counter-Strike on the map, the region's reputation had taken a massive hit after being dragged through the mud at eXTREMESLAND 2019, where the infamous "Forsaken" incident took place.

Joining hands with Vishwesh "CycloneF" Waradkar, Akash "Ph1NNN" Bose, Bhavesh "Bhavi" Sejwani and Parijat "rev3nnnn" Banerjee, BENZENE formed a team called Privacy Gaming in early 2022 (January-February) after a short outing with Instant Karma with whom BENZENE recorded few of his earliest official Counter-Strike outings. His first recorded officials came at Elite Peekers Season 2 and 5E Arena India Revival Series Season 1. Privacy Gaming started off slow but picked up pace following a runners-up campaign at ROG Showdown Series Spring 2022. The team eventually rebranded to KingPins, reflecting their confidence in the team's potential. BENZENE terms this as one of the most important moments in his Counter-Strike career alongside qualifying for the Taiwan Excellence LAN.

The first iteration of KingPins (Formerly Privacy Gaming)

rev3nnnn was the main AWP on Hodor's team. After a few games we talked about making a team. That's when we found Bhavesh and then got hold of Ph1NNN.
BENZENE talks about bonding with rev3nnnn and the formation of KingPins

KingPins would often clash with Wicked Gaming, featuring the likes of DEFAULTER, f1redup and Crazy_Gamer among others. The latter would often emerge victorious but KingPins drew first blood at 5E Arena India Revival Series Season 2 where they 2-0'd Wicked Gaming in the semi-final and ended up winning the event, marking BENZENE's first recorded Counter-Strike event win. KingPins recorded a runners-up finish at Taiwan Excellence Cup 2022 and a win at ROG Showdown Series Fall 2022 before facing NKT in grand-final of Skyesports Championship 2022. BENZENE went up against Senzu, who is currently with The MongolZ, taking Asian Counter-Strike to new heights. NKT bested the Indian side and won the event.

The announcement of Skyesports Masters 2023 saw BENZENE's next major move take shape. The franchise-system league, attracted a number of teams towards picking up a Counter-Strike roster. Ph1NNN, who would look after KingPins' socials was contacted by 7SEA Esports with an offer for the team. BENZENE, Bhavi and CycloneF made the move while rev3nnnn and Ph1NNN jumped ship at the last moment, joining Gods Reign.

The transition to 7SEA brought both opportunities and challenges. As one of India's well known rosters preparing for a franchised league, they seemed poised for success. However, last-minute roster changes when Ph1NNN and rev3nnnn joined Gods Reign forced hasty adjustments. The infrastructure challenges at 7SEA's bootcamp, delays caused by transitioning from mobile gaming setups to PC configurations, limited their preparation time significantly.

7SEA wasn't into the PC gaming scene, they had a bootcamp for PUBG mobile at the time. They'd set up PCs with curved monitors and stuff, switching those to standard esports grade monitors took a long time. With what little time we put in at the bootcamp after these PC issues were finally sorted, we barely qualified for the playoffs.
BENZENE on his 7SEA transition for Skyesports Masters 2023

7SEA Esports made a couple of LAN appearances before their Skyesports Masters 2023 campaign. In their debut outing under the 7SEA banner, BENZENE and co. clinched a 2-0 grand-final win over Daysleeperz at TEC Arena Connect Coimbatore and narrowly missed out on a title win at TEC Arena Connect Pune after DEFAULTER's Marcos Gaming came ahead in a thrilling three-map series. At Skyesports Masters 2023, BENZENE's team was drafted to take on some of the tournament's finest in their initial few games. Starting with losses against Marcos and Enigma, 7SEA Esports opened their account with a win over Medal.

7SEA Esports scraped through the group stage but crumbled under pressure in the playoffs. After putting up a positive rating in the first map, BENZENE dipped out. Going 13-23 in the decider, BENZENE's rating plummeted down to 0.73 in a do or die encounter for 7SEA as the team crashed out of Skyesports Masters 2023 in the semi-final against Revenant. 7SEA Esports disbanded after the event and BENZENE was picked up by Enigma. His time at Enigma was eventful, netting his biggest LAN title win till date at the Esportz Premier Series 2023. Enigma too withdrew from the Counter-Strike scene after a series of disappointing outings and in late 2024, VICTORES SUMUS scooped up BENZENE.

When I was with Enigma and we failed to qualify for The DRAFT, that hurt a lot. I'd call that a pretty big setback because Enigma disbanded after that. I was at my lowest, I was doing everything within my control, I was putting in a lot of hours improving my own game and helping SpawN build a strat-book but I couldn't perform under pressure, which cost us that tournament. We could've gotten an international LAN slot.
BENZENE speaks about the lowest point in his career

His chapter with VICTORES SUMUS represented both continuity and evolution. Playing alongside Ember, someone he once looked up to, has created natural synergy in their gameplay. "We had a pretty good idea of what the other one was going to do most of the time," he explains, highlighting the importance of chemistry in team-based esports. The team recently secured qualification for Dust2 India 1xbet Masters 25 and was steadily climbing the ESEA Open Season 54 leaderboard, going up to #13.

BENZENE's time with VICTORES SUMUS came to an end after the organization picked up a BGMI roster in August 2025 and decided to call it a day on their Counter-Strike Venture. The core of VICTORES SUMUS alongside BENZENE are still on the grind, battling it out at ESEA Open Season 54.

However, BENZENE's vision extends far beyond domestic success. His criticism of the Indian Counter-Strike scene is both pointed and constructive. He questions why players who practice extensively are looked down upon, arguing that this attitude prevents Indian teams from competing effectively against Asian opponents. "People are content with being the #1 team in India," he observes, identifying complacency as the scene's greatest obstacle.

The challenges facing Indian Counter-Strike are numerous, from infrastructure issues to delayed prize payments, but BENZENE remains optimistic about the scene's potential. BENZENE's legacy aspirations are refreshingly grounded. Rather than seeking individual accolades, he wants to be remembered for his work ethic and honesty. His repeated failures to breakthrough internationally, whether as an underdog or favorite, fuel his determination rather than diminish it. Each setback becomes a learning opportunity, each loss a reason to practice harder.

The story of BENZENE is far from complete. At 24, having just parted ways with VICTORES SUMUS, showing promise despite regional limitations, his chapter in Indian Counter-Strike continues to unfold. His journey from a Lucknow teenager playing offline against bots to a respected professional competing internationally embodies the dreams of countless Indian gamers.

In a scene often criticized for its internal politics and lack of dedication, BENZENE stands as an example for sustained effort and honest self-reflection. His vision for Indian Counter-Strike, one where hard work is celebrated rather than mocked, where teams focus on improvement over ego, and where international competition is embraced rather than avoided; offers a roadmap for the scene's future growth.