With the fest just a few sleeps away, the BOSM English Press (BEP) sat down with Keval Kirpekar, captain of the Boys’ Lawn Tennis team, for a chat to gauge his team’s preparations for this edition.

Keval began by explaining that practice had been going well for the team, with daily two-hour sessions, which consisted of warm-up, drills, rallies and matches. He added that since BOSM was close by, the team’s focus had shifted mainly to match practice to build stamina and gain experience. He also commended their coach for helping them build accuracy and reach the level of fitness that BOSM demanded. 

Reflecting on their performance at last year’s edition, he said that the final result fell short of their expectations since they had trained to win gold. He shared that this year, they had seen an uptick in the number of students trying out for the team. From around seventy interested students, the team recruited the best three, which brought the team’s total size up to thirteen. The new recruits, he claimed, had been improving steadily, and he was hopeful that they would step up and exhibit their potential during BOSM. 

Keval added that only the team event would happen this year, and that the number of teams fielded by them would depend on the number of outstation participants. On a more personal note, he spoke about juggling the responsibilities of being in a major department with those of being the captain of a team. His day consisted of a practice session with his team, followed by a work session with his department. He said that his faith in his team had made the work less strenuous than he had initially expected it to be. 

Talking about his experience with the Sports Union Council (SUC), he remarked that it was heartening to see all the captains united with the Sports Secretary, ‘with whatever had been happening behind the scenes.’ To conclude, he remarked that it was fun to see people enthusiastic about tennis, showing up to trials, and also participating in the GBM coaching. He urged those interested in tennis to continue practising hard and to try out for the team again next semester.