Upon being contacted by the BOSM English Press, Srishti Jain, captain of the girls’ football team, kindly consented to take time out of her schedule for an interview. She started off enthusiastically by giving a description of the team’s schedule. The team has sessions in the morning and evening lasting between 2 to 2.5 hours daily combined. All players have a common set of drills to follow except the goalkeeper. Till now, the team has focused mainly on building upon existing strengths. However, in the final days before BOSM, the full impetus will be on developing strategies and manoeuvres to use in the tournament. 

‘Waking up early in the morning for vigorous practice, running to class, and again sweating it out in the evening is not everybody’s cup of tea, and it is indeed a remarkable feat for anybody to religiously follow such a daily routine.’ Srishti stated that she is extremely grateful to have a team which is passionate about the sport and dedicated to making it on time for practice every day.

When asked about any problems faced by the team, she said that it was very difficult to find a coach for both the girls’ and boys’ teams. Another issue is that practice was earlier conducted in Gym-G; however, now that area has been allotted to the frisbee team which has resulted in the football team getting displaced to SR grounds. The SR grounds, Srishti said, lack grass and are not maintained very well.

The team’s recruitment process involves conducting a 5-day tryout session. While skills and experience are factors, the hunger, the desire to be on the team, regularity, and punctuality during the 5-day tenure are significantly more important. “The zeal to learn and passion for football is also a characteristic feature common to all the recruits and that was one of the deciding factors to picking the players for the squad,” Srishti said. In order to make the new recruits settle down quickly in the team, the team bonds over academics, clubs, departments, and other facets of life during cool down sessions.

The team currently comprises 14 players in total, out of which there are three first-years, six second-years, three third-years, and two fourth-years. Kajal, a new recruit and the team goalkeeper, was praised as an epitome of what an all-round player should ideally be. She was said to be a powerful and calming presence on the field who effectively communicates with all players.

Srishti is a third-year from Jaipur pursuing Chemical Engineering. Her first time playing the sport was on campus. Prior to that, she used to be an avid badminton player. When asked about the change, she stated that football is not a very popular sport amongst girls and that she wanted to contribute to increasing its popularity amongst girls here. She also said that she faced significant opposition from seniors and friends when she told them about her decision to join the football team and that acted as an extra boost of motivation towards her desire of joining the team.

Srishti said that as captain, she could never be late for practice, since she had to set a good example in front of all the other players. That, she said, acts as a source of stress. However, despite this added sense of responsibility and the weight of expectations from all directions, she is very proud to be the captain. She also said that she has learned firsthand the meaning of the phrase ‘With great power comes great responsibility.’ After captaining a team, she looks forward to taking up roles which require high levels of responsibility in the future.

The Institute and CoSSAc have been extremely supportive of the team’s endeavours. They also made sure that the inventory was given in full and on time. She also said that they were working on the condition of SR grounds, and the situation is improving slowly but steadily.

Two editions of BOSM ago, the girl’s football team finished first. The year after, they came fourth. This year, all members of the team are giving their best in an attempt to bring the trophy home and beat out their rivals, which are teams from DU. As a parting message, Srishti asked all BITSians to attend their matches and cheer for their team at the SR grounds. Here is hoping all their hard work and diligence bears fruit in the coming days.