Kailash emerges top baseball pitcher Navhind Times Sudhakar Shanbhag Margao,Feb 12: Kailash Gaonkar, Goa's top baseball pitcher at the age-group level a few seasons ago is now the best in the business at the senior level in India.
The 24-year-old's recent exploits at the 20th senior national baseball championships in Cuttack saw the Shirgao (Bicholim)-based baseballer guiding the state team to their maiden title at the all-India level. Although the national tournament turned out to be a cakewalk for the state women's team, which retained the trophy for the third year in succession, it was the men's team under the leadership of coach Dilip Naik and Kailash's captaincy which claimed the senior crown for the first time ever. The highlight of Goa's overwhelming performance in Cuttack was the emergence of Kailash as the best all-rounder of the event which in turn catapulted his career to a new high as he was also named as India's best pitcher at the end of the nationals. A hard hitting batter, Kailash struck top form at the event while managing to hurl the ball at an incredible speed of more than 130 kmph, literally making him unplayable at times. None of the Goan pitchers in the men's group in the past had managed to raise the standard of their game to a level that Kailash had scaled for himself in the Cuttack nationals and with coach Dilip working overtime he ensured that Kailash was his best bet to guide Goa to a memorable triumph. "We were confident of retaining the women's title in Cuttack but I was determined to guide the men's team to their maiden title which in a sense proved to be a major turn around in the end as the state teams completed a grand double to make it one of the most memorable senior nationals in my coaching tenure," coach Dilip observed while speaking to The Navhind Times. Dilip was all the more delighted to see Kailash stealing the show in grand style at a time when Goa were not pitted as favourites to win the men's title. "The pressure was on the entire team to perform as we kept winning matches in the initial rounds with top teams such as Kerala and UP being the stumbling block. However, when things got a little more serious as we entered the knock-out stage, the going got tough. But all the boys were determined to win the title as we took on Delhi in the finals and won it quite comfortably in the end," Kailash recalled. On his personal good showing in Cuttack, Kailash said it was the result of persistent hard work and the relentless efforts put in by coach Dilip, which paved the way for success. "I am glad that I managed to live up to my coach's expectations and also that of my team-mates as there was also added pressure to perform the role of a captain simultaneously, which in the end produced the desired results," the Goa captain maintained, praising the entire team for showing great discipline and camaraderie.