With BOSM around the corner, the BOSM English Press sat down with Bhuvanyu Kumar Sharma, Captain of the hockey team, to learn about the team’s preparations for the fest.
Explaining the basics of the sport, he said that each match is divided into four quarters of fifteen minutes each, with breaks after each quarter. While international matches are usually played on an artificial turf, in BITS they take place on a grass field; this format is known as ‘grassy field hockey’. Each team fields eleven players, with one half of the pitch assigned to them, and each side has a goal to defend. A goal only counts if it has been taken from inside the striking circle or ‘dee’. Penalty cards are of two types: green for minor offences and orange for major ones. Summing it up, Bhuvanyu described hockey as a sport that demands as much running as football, with the stick element bringing in shades of cricket and golf, while matches are as fast-paced as basketball.
In BOSM, he noted that there would be one round-robin tournament for the men’s team. He added that there was no women’s hockey team yet, though efforts were underway to form one by the next edition of BOSM. On their preparation schedule, he said the team trained for five hours a day, six days a week, with sessions including skill drills, weight training and match practice. In the week leading up to BOSM, they were shifting focus from stamina and fitness to match strategy, with more frequent practice matches.
On challenges faced, Bhuvanyu pointed out a recent spike in fevers and illnesses, leading to players missing practices. He also noted a communication gap with the ‘management’, which led to inadequate support in terms of inventory and on-ground management. He added, ‘Sometimes they help us a lot, when they want us to take photos or post online.’
Looking back on their past performances, he highlighted the team’s victory in BOSM 2023, and their third-place finish last year. He also recalled their historic first-ever outstation tournament win at IIT Ropar, where they defeated their long-time rivals IIT Roorkee in the finals. The one he admitted he had ‘never beaten’ was SRCC’s team, whose roster often included ‘national sports quota players’, but he hopes to do so.
Recruitment, he explained, takes place through a month-long camp where newcomers learn the game and prove their commitment. From around 50 participants, just 5 to 8 are eventually selected. Bhuvanyu himself joined the team this way in his first year, having decided beforehand to pick up hockey at BITS.
Reflecting on his captaincy, Bhuvanyu admitted the transition had been challenging, as the shift from being a player who simply had to focus on his own game to putting his team’s game as a priority was something that he had not anticipated. Furthermore, he also had to take care of not just the players’ game but also their mental fitness to make sure they are not burnt out.
On a parting note, he requested the GBM to come and watch the hockey team’s matches and assured them that the team would surely reach the finals with their encouragement.