With his second chance, Kashyap sets the ‘record’ straight

Panaji: “You are good enough, but it’s not your day.”
That’s what Kashyap Bakhale kept telling himself after he scored just 13 on debut in the Ranji Trophy plate group clash against Mizoram.
At 26, it was a late debut for Kashyap in Indian cricket’s premier cricket tournament. But when he finally got his chance, he was clean bowled by KC Cariappa, Mizoram’s professional player from Karnataka, more famous as the unknown player who was bought by Kolkata Knight Riders for Rs 2.4 crores in 2015.
“Even though I scored just 13 (on debut), I was batting well but, unfortunately, I could not handle that ball,” Kashyap told TOI on Thursday. “You cannot score in every match. This is cricket, you will do well in one game and fail in the next one. When you don’t do well, it’s important to tell yourself ‘you are good enough, but it’s not your day’. That's what I did. You have to follow the process and things will click.”
It really clicked for Kashyap in the next game. It was the final one. Playing only his second game in the Ranji Trophy, he scored an amazing triple century and was involved in an unbeaten record Ranji Trophy partnership of 606 runs for the third wicket against Arunachal Pradesh in Porvorim on Thursday.
Kashyap’s unbeaten 300 came from 269 balls and was the ninth-fastest triple hundred in first-class cricket. Kauthankar, on the other hand, is third on the list after taking only 49 balls to go from 200 to 300 at the Academy ground in Porvorim on Thursday.
For Kashyap, his triple century was proof enough that he’s “good enough” for first class cricket.
“It bothered me that I did well (in age-group competitions) but could not break into the Ranji Trophy squad because my better performances always came towards the end of the competitions, when the Ranji campaign had ended. I used to do well in the last two matches,” said Kashyap.
A knee injury last year kept him out of cricket for almost ten months. That helped him reflect on his career. “It taught me to be patient,” he said.
This season, after finally graduating from age-group teams to the seniors, Kashyap grabbed his chance at the second opportunity. When he reached 100, he took his helmet off and looked upwards. When he got to his triple century – only the third Goan to achieve the feat – the batter ended with a salute.
“That was for my father,” explained Kashyap. “He was the one who always supported me, particularly when I was not doing well. When I was playing outside, he was on the phone, constantly encouraging me.”
Kashyap’s father passed away in 2022.
“When I scored the triple century, and we got our names in the record books, I missed him the most.”


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