The sweet sound of willow meeting leather as the ball flies over your head is enough to let you know that you are in the middle of a bunch of passionate and driven cricketers gearing up for their next big tournament. With BOSM just a few days away, the BITS Pilani cricket team is gearing up to take on challengers from all across the country participating in the event. The team is aware that they cannot take any of the participants lightly, as the competition is intense at BOSM.

The tournament will be played in a T20 format, with 15 teams competing for the title. Every match will be a knockout clash until the finals, where the three remaining teams will clash against each other in round robin matches. The team with the highest number of points will win the tournament.

Jayshil Joshi, the captain of the BITS Pilani cricket team, arguably the busiest man on the MedC ground, gave us insight into the team’s preparations for BOSM in a half-hour-long interview. Having been in the BITS cricket team for three years, the skipper is one of the senior players in the team. The most exciting part about being in the team is that they are like a family and play together all around the calendar, in BOSM as well as during other outstation tournaments.

Throwing light on the team members, the captain thinks that a strong bond between the players and their commitment towards the game coupled with the home advantage makes the team a formidable unit. According to Jayshil, the coolest head in the team in crunch situations is Gautam, who handles pressure extremely well. He shares that various members in the team have varying superstitions. He himself prefers to wear his right pad first before he walks in to bat.

The players rate Sri Venkataswara, New Delhi and SRM, New Delhi as their toughest competitors. However, the inter-BITS campuses match between the Pilani and Hyderabad campuses is expected to be an absolute treat for the spectators, for it is sure to be fought hard.

However, all is not rosy for this overworked camp of 24. The fact that the pitch to be used for BOSM is still not accessible is making their lives difficult, as many of them have never played on a turf wicket before.

Adding to their woes is the fact that the support for the team is declining as the matches take place under the scorching sun. The captain shares that he is nursing a thumb injury as he prepares for this five-day-long sports extravaganza.

However, these setbacks do not deter this group. Building on from their amazing performance in the previous BOSM where they won gold, the team has bagged a silver medal at the tournament conducted by NLU, Delhi and a bronze at NMIT, Jaipur.

A healthy team rapport combined by their strong will and good form makes them a formidable unit and they just might be on their way to yet another BOSM title. We wish them the best of luck!