Goa Hitters Reach Record Partnership in Thrilling Win Over Arunachal Pradesh

Panaji: Goan batsmen Snehal Kauthankar and Kashyap Bakhale made history on Thursday, surpassing the highest run partnership in Ranji Trophy history with an unbeaten 606 runs for the third wicket against Arunachal Pradesh.

Kauthankar, who had already struck a triple century, scored his record-breaking knock of 314 not out, while Bakhale played an incredible innings of 300* off 269 balls. The pair's historic partnership, which surpassed Maharashtra's record of 594 runs held by Swapnil Gugale and Ankit Bawne, sent the crowd into a frenzy.

"We needed a few more runs to set the record, so we were keen to get to it first and then Kashyap's milestone 300," said Kauthankar. "We came to know about the world record after declaring our innings, so if we didn't go for it, people would have thought we knew about it."

This unbeaten partnership proved that the pair were on top of their game, pushing the boundaries of first-class cricket history.

The win marked an exciting turn of events in Goa's season. Initially relegated from the Elite group last season, they bounced back and topped their Plate group, earning a spot in the Elite group this time around.

In contrast, Arunachal Pradesh struggled to keep up, losing all five games. The Panaji match saw Arunachal bowled out for a modest 84 runs, while Goa declared their innings at an impressive 727-2.

However, on closer inspection, it was revealed that the pair would have been on course to break the world record if they had opted to declare before reaching the mark. Instead, they played by the rules and still cemented a historic win.

Tamil Nadu holds the record for the highest-ever partnership in Ranji Trophy history, having declared 912-6 against Goa in 1989. This record has now been equalled by Kauthankar and Bakhale's impressive partnership of 606 runs.

The win took place at the Academy ground in Porvorim on Thursday, with brief scores: Arunachal Pradesh 84 vs Goa 727-2 (Snehal Kautharkar 314 and Kashyap Bakhale 300) by an innings and 551 runs.