Excelling BIT(S) by bit

A student of third year BE in Electronics andInstrumentation at Bits Pilani, Nikhil Tavora has mastered the art of jugglingfootball with his studies. An ardent fan of Manchester United, Nikhil has madethe most of his eye for detail and minute observation to work on his footballskills and improve the standards of the game by bringing glory to the club.What is notable is that this young captain of BITS FC, has displayedextraordinary maturity along with his team by displaying excellence without theluxury of a professional coach.

For Nikhil, football wasn’t his first choice in sports.After swimming across the river Mandovi in 30 minutes at a tender age of threeand a short stint at training in professional cricket, football was a laterealisation. Nikhil recalls, “I watched the 2002 World Cup finals with dad justbecause of the hype. However, I followed the Euro 2004 wholeheartedly. I thendeveloped an interest in football and started following club football as well.I now feel swimming and cricket cannot be compared to the thrill of playingfootball. It is a completely different ball game.”

After having a short stint with the junior team of Dempo FCduring his school days, Nikhil took a sabbatical during his higher secondaryschool. However, when he took admission in Bits Pilani KK Birla, Goa, he was infor a pleasant surprise. Nikhil says, “In the orientation session, I was toldthat BITS FC is an independent football club which is registered under GFA. Theclub was in the third division. The moment I heard about it, I was all excitedand looking forward to it. I also realised that the team does not have a coach.We tried having a coach for the first time but it didn’t work out because mostof the times our submissions and exams clashed with our training sessions.”

When the team participated in the GFA professional leaguefor the first time, they were beaten by all the teams barring one match whichended in a draw. However, in the following year, the team remained undefeatedthroughout the tournament and went on to qualify for the second division.Nikhil recalls, “We learnt whatever we could from the first year. We used towatch the Goan teams play and observe them. So we knew our opponents well. ”Theteam used to train everyday in the evening earlier. The bonding between theteam also helped.”

On a parting note, Nikhil says, “I would have loved to playprofessional football but I realise it is too late now. One has to train from ayoung age to make it to the professional level. However, I’m happy to play the gametill the time I enjoy playing.”