With BOSM 2024 only two weeks away, the BOSM English Press sat down with Deeptha, the Captain of the Girls’ Badminton Team, who took time out from her busy schedule.

Badminton will be conducted as a team event, with each team consisting of three to five players. She added that there are three different matches—singles, doubles, and reverse singles, and that this BOSM, there will be three events in total—women’s, men’s, and mixed. 

When asked about the team’s daily regimen, Deeptha said that they had morning and evening practice, and went to Rakesh Academy for on-court practice. She added that the team could not practice on the court for a month due to renovations being undertaken at the Student Activities Centre (SAC). She further stated that another hurdle in their preparation was the attitude of the first-year students towards practice, with the problem being them making excuses to skip practice. When asked about colleges the team considers their biggest competitors this year, Deeptha mentioned Nirma University and Sri Venkateswara College (Delhi University).

The captain then went on to explain the recruitment process; an email is sent to the first-year students and interested students are expected to come for tryouts with proper equipment and a racket. She remarked that they are judged on their court work, footwork, and quality of shots to be put on probation for the team. Probation lasts for about a month before the team is finalised. 

When asked about her experience as captain, she stated that until her fourth semester of college, she was excited to obtain captaincy of the team, but the weight of bringing the team together is finally settling on her shoulders. Deeptha observed that as captain she had to look after every aspect of everyone’s performance, which she considered a learning curve for herself.