With BOSM a week away and practice in full swing, it was a busy day for GY Saket Reddy, the captain of the BITS Cricket Team. The BOSM English Press met up with the skipper at Med C Grounds after a routine practice session. 

All the cricket matches in BOSM follow the T-20 format and ICC Rules. Matches are played in the afternoon and the scores can go as high as 140 runs. Currently, the squad consists of 29 members, which includes both first degree and higher degree students.

The practice for the team begins at four in the evening with warm-up exercises and net practices. A regular session lasts around three hours, and they also have practice matches on weekends. The regime for wicket-keepers differs a little and they are mostly made to squat around 200-250 times, every two/three days. This schedule will be followed until September 10th after which the intensity decreases. ’The main motive is to give our body full rest’, adds Saket. 

A major event for the team was its victory over Manipal Jaipur last semester, which was the first-ever outstation victory for BITS. Saket admits that the team back then was a very strong side, owing to the presence of four ex-captains. All of whom were state level players and have since graduated. However, Saket is full of enthusiasm for this semester. He admits to having a good batting lineup and a history of good performances in the sports fest. ‘We have this one motto in the team: We won’t give it back’, adds Reddy. Major rivals for the fest include St. Xavier’s Jaipur, SRM Delhi and BKBIET Pilani.

There are 10 new recruits this year. This tally includes four first years, four second years, one third year and one ME student. The recruitments lasted a month and had a turnout of 120 students. All these students were then divided into squads of ten and made to play inter squad matches. The new recruits include a district bowler from Delhi. The team has three major players, Aakash Shankar, Ashrit Tayde and opener Utkarsh. 

As a captain, Saket admits that his game has matured and he feels a sense of responsibility towards the team and the younger players. ‘It’s the best feeling in the world’, he adds. His experience though has been mixed. The team won against Manipal Jaipur but was eliminated in the first round at IIT Bombay. However, he is optimistic towards BOSM, as the team were the winners last year.

When asked how he balances academics and sports, Saket replied ‘It was tough in the beginning, but right now it is pretty good. We have matured and it has become easier to manage time.’  

Saket also added that Sports Council and CoSSAc have been helpful and the cricket team looks forward to winning the trophy.