The BOSM English Press recently caught up with Raghav Khandelwal, the Captain of the Boys’ Badminton Team, to discuss their preparations for the upcoming sports fest.

This year, the badminton events would feature three main categories: a men’s team event with five players, a women’s team event with four players, and a mixed team event with eight players. Each competition would consist of three singles matches and two doubles matches, with every match being played over three rounds of 21 points. The tournament would begin with a group stage and move into a knockout format.

The team began training a month ahead of BOSM, initially focusing on building stamina. However, in recent weeks, their primary emphasis had shifted to on-court practice. On the subject of recruitment, Raghav shared that the team held open try-outs for players from all batches. He emphasized that several of the new recruits would play key roles in the tournament, stressing that skill took precedence over how long someone had been part of the team.

Recruitment was particularly challenging this time around as they only had access to the court for two days due to renovations. As a result, they had to schedule practices at Rakesh Academy, which also had only two courts. To manage, they split the team, with half practising at Rakesh Academy while the other half focused on workouts at Gym-G, alternating shifts. ‘Managing everything was harder than I expected, but I think we’ve handled it pretty well,’ Raghav remarked. He also acknowledged the Students’ Union’s help in covering the expenses for the Rakesh Academy practices.

When asked about his experience leading the team, Raghav shared, ‘I’m not focusing on winning; I just want to give my best and make my seniors proud.’ He was most excited about the energy and thrill of BOSM, adding, ‘It’s going to be an unforgettable experience.’