The BOSM English Press sat down with Arham Babel, the captain of the cricket team (and a Rajasthan Royals fan), to learn more about their preparations for BOSM.

Arham explained how the team had lately been playing a considerable number of matches to get into the right mindset for BOSM. The team had evening practice every day. These started off with warm-ups and a fielding session, followed by setting targets for the batsmen to chase and the bowlers to defend. In addition, they also had matches on the weekends. He remarked on how preparations had gone smoothly this year, with a few individuals selected on a probationary basis. The team also received its inventory on time and, unlike previous years, did not face a shortage of practice time due to rain.

The team hadn’t been able to win in the finals, consistently reaching the semifinal or final matches in previous editions of BOSM. Arham added that they expected fierce competition from DU and JECRC this year, and he noted how the team had focused on improving their basics to increase confidence on the field. He also said that the team casually played mini-games like circle cricket and hit the target, which had improved their chemistry. 

Speaking of his cricket journey, Arham reflected that he had started playing at school, inspired by his elder brother, and eventually rose to lead the BITS Pilani Cricket team last year at Thapar University’s sports fest. On his role as captain, he stated that he had a good experience managing the team, with constant support from his batchmates and seniors. He mentioned that one of the challenges of managing the team was finding the best combination of players and their ideal positions on the field, mentioning that they had several good players, but only eleven could play at a time. 

On a concluding note, Arham encouraged aspiring players who were unable to make the team this year to join the institute’s coaching program and to give their best in the trials next year.