1. Obviously, what was your favourite moment from the last four days?
Samhith: An all-ASP derby in Football: Carlsberg FC vs Cucurella Paella FC. A win would guarantee either team a spot in the quarters—it ended 0-0 and both teams were quite happy with that. The game started with both teams in a huddle together, chanting “ASP!” as they broke out to take their positions. Everyone was having a lot of fun on the pitch, and the stakes didn’t matter. All these guys have played each other at some point before—it was a chance to channel 4 years of football friendship and just have fun on the pitch. Carlsberg FC was heading for the
Dhanji concert on Sunday, so they were playing their final game in the tournament.
Distinguished Edict Sports writer Aditya Padinjat put in a heck of a performance in goal, putting his body on the line! We also saw the first yellow of the tournament when Samar Sabharwal (a part of neither of these teams) invaded the pitch to fuel some drama. It really was the most fun match where the football itself was quite forgettable.
Aditya: Cucurella Paella vs Carlsberg is the selfish answer, but really I think that watching the way Dosai Dominators pushed Footybois, the defending football champions, all the way to the brink of defeat was one of the most impressive things I’ve seen in a while. On paper, it should have been a complete and utter mismatch, but Dosai produced a prime Jose performance to keep them at bay. Footybois were reduced to mostly long shots, and there was genuine concern that the defending champions might be knocked out in the quarter-finals. Shoutout to Atin and Arnav Mayur for top performances.
Ananya: Samhith stole my answer but eaaaasily Carlsberg FC vs Cucurella Paella FC. To watch basically my entire friend group be on the field together, playing with and against their friends, prancing and dancing, as the rest of us watched, laughed, cheered, recorded every moment like an over-excited mother at her children’s annual day performance (that was mainly just me actually icl) - nothing could possibly beat this. And One Direction playing in the background just made it a tad bit better. I was so thoroughly entertained, slightly nervous throughout, deeply worried that one of them would get hurt, but mostly just glad that we got to be here and have this moment.
Bhavin: Dosai Dominators. Following up from a dismal APL outing, the boys were quick to bounce back after the failed recruitment of Viraat Sinh (2Goals1Cup). As they scuffed a 0-0 against Abdi & Co., that final game when they needed a win to go through and they had a last minute freekick. I found myself screaming at Mayur to hit it hard and low, and there’s a video of me jumping and celebrating like a child as he places the ball in the bottom corner ever so gracefully. They did well to beat Lassio in American pens and held out very formidably against us. Special shoutouts to Arnav Mayur and Atin Mittal for some stonewall performances. Also, the NCM game between UG2023 and Fresher’s with the former needing a win to go through. Maleah’s silky turn with her left foot on the outside as she buries the ball was also a personal favourite.
2. Besides your batch, of course, which batch were you rooting for?
Samhith: UG2023s for sure—I really like this tradition of the second years winning every edition of the Batch Championships. We (ASPs) were quite close until the end I think, but it would have been a bit sad if the oldest guys won it—and also we’ve won it before! Apart from having a good few second-year friends, I think so many of the sports persons in their batch are desperate to win and they show it. Completely deserved and I’m really happy they won it.
Aditya: I was rather backing my Edict Sports colleagues, including Sarthak, Aditi, Vishnu, Aneek, and Bhavin (albeit the last two not against me). By the end, that would end up translating to supporting quite a few UG2023s. Also Power of Friendship because best name in the whole tournament.
Ananya: Not very consciously - I think I found myself supporting UG25s everytime they were playing (except when against us). But the UG2023s, as a whole during the tournament, had a kind of camaraderie, energy, and insane skill throughout the weekend, that you couldn’t help but root for them.
Bhavin: Really, it was for my homies, regardless of batch. Be it Vishnu, Kahaan and Koka in TT, or Zahaan and Dhruv in Cis football, Anandita in NCM, Sarthak & Rau in tennis. I think just the general wanting your teammates to do well and exhibit their quality, even if they were the ones to eliminate you (@zahaan @atharva @nikhilmishra @samar)
3. Who was the MVP of the entire championship for you?
Samhith: I’m sure we can get an objective answer based on who won the most medals. But for me Sarthak is (and has been) a rock solid, guaranteed gold medalist for the 25s. In 3 years, I’ve seen him ease his way to the top spot each and every time. In every final, I’ve been cheering for the opposite side (it’s always been my batch, and my friends in fact!) but you can’t help but clap when his serves whizz past everyone, travelling faster than the eye can track. It’s not just strength and power, but smart tennis. I genuinely think he’s never been outsmarted at the Batch Championships, perhaps not even during his entire tenure at Ashoka.
Aditya: Tempted to answer myself, but I think that the actual answer might be Amit from United Scholars cricket team. He’s a frighteningly good bowler, and he put in a fantastic effort for his team this year as well.
Aditi: Arnav Mayur hands down. He came in clutch for Dosai Dominators more times than I can count, and seeing the praise that he’s (honestly, the entire DD team) received makes me insanely proud. Also shoutout Shaan from UG2024 for those incredible performances in badminton.
Arjun: For me, it would be difficult to pick amongst Gian, Shubhay and Vatsal from the UG2023 Cis Men Basketball Team. I think those three are such pivotal pieces in that team, given their skills, confidence and hustle.
Bhavin: Vatsal GOATswami. Two golds in beach volleyball and basketball. I was absolutely in awe watching him in the basketball final. His strength, explosiveness, pace, and vertical were breathtaking to be in the presence of. Insane athlete that man.
4. Is there a sport that you were watching for the first time (or not) that took you by surprise?
Samhith: Beach Volleyball is a really fun sport that I’d love to play more often—be warned that you’re likely to get sand in your eyes if you’re not careful!
Aditya: I’ve been won over by frisbee. I was initially slightly sceptical, but after watching the final, I’ve become convinced that I need it in my life. Shoutout to the team name Power of Friendship too.
Aditi: Frisbee. There have been moments where I’ve made fun of the sport, but the more I’ve been watching it, the more interesting it gets. Still would never play it though.
Bhavin: Beach volleyball. It’s actually too much fun. Next year, Sepak Takraw should be a thing.
5. Who is someone to look out for during Batch Championships 4.0?
Samhith: Krish Gupta (fresher) and freshers’ football team. Scored the only hattrick of the tournament, his movement, touch and shooting was impeccable in that game. The “Haggu Warriors” had a difficult group and weren’t able to secure a spot in the quarters, but they managed to show us their potential—here’s hoping they can go further next year! Personally, I think Krish guarantees you at least a couple goals in APL. He’s really good at finding pockets of space to run into and slotting it in the back of the net. Early days and a long way to go!
Aditya: The freshers ended up taking 3 out of the 4 medals on offer in badminton, so they will definitely be a strong contender in badminton come both RSL and Batch Championships 4.0.
Ananya: The UG2024 NCM Basketball teams, for sure. They were so dominant throughout the tournament - defeating some of Ashoka’s biggest players. I feel like as they spend more time with their teammates - both on and off the court - over the next year, they will grow into an even stronger force by the time Batch Champs 4.0 comes around. Also - our queen Aditi Gudi bro. She got this.
Aditi: The entire UG2024 Batch, specifically their NCM Basketball team. Fantastic performances all around from their players, and I think they’ll only get better with time, which I can’t wait to see.
Arjun: The UG2024 NCM team. Seeing that kind of intensity and chemistry from a first year team was extremely surprising, seeing that they have not played with each other as long as the other batches have. I think there is an immense amount of talent there, especially since both their teams were able to reach the semi-finals, with one of them progressing to the finals. I think they will pose a formidable challenge to UG2023 NCM, the current champions, next year.
Bhavin: Mythili (UG2024) on the football team, she looks on course to be Ashoka’s best-ever NCM footballer. Viraat Sinh in football next year. It's a pity he won’t be joining the Footybois. The UG2024 NCM basketball team looked a force to be reckoned with as they demolished the UG2023s. Shaan Kejriwal in badminton.
6. Finally, ASPs – how do you feel about your last batch championship?
Samhith: Our ex-editor, Kartikay Dutta (ASP24 graduate), interacting with our tweets forced us to think about where we’d be in a year's time, and what this last batch championships meant to us. Vishnu and I wrote an article last year about why it’s a great tournament, and all those points still stand. I loved seeing batch solidarity between the juniors, I felt really old remembering how excited I was when UG24 won the inaugural edition. It has cemented its place as an important part of Ashoka’s sports culture, and every year it kicks off the season with 4 days of inclusive and thrilling sport. I’m so glad to have seen the tournament grow over the last 3 years, it was the first one that Edict sports covered on twitter and I’ve been introduced to so many sports because of it. Next year when I catch Edict Sports Batch Championships coverage on twitter while rotting in the office, I’m sure the nostalgia will hit really hard.
Ananya: I think during the weekend, I hadn’t quite been processing that it’s our last, mainly because of the stress of coverage and all that. But it hit me on the last day that it is, in fact, the last day of our last Batch Champs. This was the first tournament, back in April 2022, that made me start caring about Ashokan sports. It has a kind of energy and brightness to it that sets itself apart from other Ashokan sports leagues. It’s given us first looks of some of Ashoka’s greatest sportspeople and is a gift that keeps on giving every single year. But more importantly, the very nature of the tournament - friends coming together to play with each other (shoutout Power of Friendship), against each other, and aim to simply go out there and have fun - is what makes the tournament what it is - the joy of playing a sport you care about with people you care about. And the rest of us, showing up time after time to cheer them on. I’m not sure what life is going to look like after Ashoka, but I’m sure wherever I’ll be during Batch Champs 4.0, watching the likes of Aditi, Aneek, and Bhavin tweet about insane goals, major upsets, wack team names - I’ll keep my notifications on.
Aditya: Something makes me feel reallllly old about the fact that I was here for the first edition of Batch Championships, and this will be my last one. Batch Championships is such a gre+at concept because it has both the seriousness of a real sporting event where the best players can announce themselves (see Bhavin and Aneek’s articles) but it also has the fun vibes to let someone like me turn out for Cucurella Paella. It’s the perfect start to the Ashokan sporting calendar for that. It’s been a great pleasure to be part of covering it on multiple occasions, and just like all of my ASPs colleagues, I’m sure I’ll be following all of the events (and how all of my friends are getting on) on Twitter next year, still broken-hearted that I’ll be logged out of the account by then.
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