Rohan Kanhai | The astonishing, sharp-eyed batter of 'the 70s(The stroke-maker)

Romeen Masood

Rohan Kanhai from Guiana was a very West Indian type of batter. Even though he was not a big man, he had masterclass technique and incredibly sharp eyes.

(David Frith) Cricket-Writer

Did you know that R. Kanhai was a combustive cricketer, the way he ran and the style he played throughout...?

Welcome back, friends...! Let us talk about one of the best legendary West Indian cricketers. The nightmare of the '60s & '70s.

Rohan Bholalall Kanhai

Date of birth:-

December26,1935.

Nationality:-

Guyanese

Meet the ICC Hall of Famer: Rohan Kanhai | 'He wasn't an accumulator; he was a stroke maker.'

Introduction:-

Sir Rohan Kanhai is a former West Indian cricketer born on December 26, 1935, in Port Mourant, British Guiana (now Guyana). He was a right-handed batsman and occasional off-spin bowler who played for the West Indies cricket team between 1957 and 1974.

He was known for his stylish and attacking batting technique and was considered one of the finest batters of his generation. He scored over 6,000 runs in Test cricket at 47.53, including 15 centuries and 28 fifties. He was also a brilliant fielder known for his agility and athleticism.

R. Kanhai played for the famous West Indies teams of the 1960s and early 1970s, which dominated world cricket. He was a significant member of the team that won the first two World Cup tournaments in 1975 and 1979. He also played domestic cricket in the West Indies for Guyana and England for Warwickshire.

After retiring from playing, Kanhai became a coach and served as coach of the West Indies team from 1992 to 1995. He was inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame in 2009 for his outstanding contribution to the sport.

These are some famous quotes about him from famous analysts and former cricketers:

One of his kind, Sir 'Rohan Bholalall Kanhai' was one of the most miraculously talented batsmen of his time. Despite every bowling attack he faced, he could stand.
The fact that, In a team chock full of talented players, he sparkled as brightly as the gems around him, reflecting his ability.
"He was a skilled batsman. He was not an accumulator; he was a stroke-maker." (Mike Selvey) England - Journalist (1976-1977)

"He could swing away with a bat as he could bat doggedly for hours on end. He was also an integral member of the renowned West Indian team." (David Frith)

"In the first ODI World Cup, he played a vital role for his team, the mighty West Indies." (Mike Selvey) England - Journalist (1976-1977)

Rohan Kanhai with the mighty West Indies in 1960s.

A group photo of R. Kanhai with his County team.

First Ride:-

Sir Rohan Bholalall Kanhai was a beautiful batsman, considered one of the best batters from the '1960s. Kanhai's mother and father belong to India (Bihar).
He gave his first-class debut for British Guiana. He played for various county teams such as Guiana, Tasmania, Trinidad, Warwickshire, etc.

Since playing for Warwickshire, he has scored 11,615 runs at a rate of 51.62, the highest average for any batsman in the modern era.

Test career:-

He made his debut against England at Birmingham on 30 May 1957. He played as a wicketkeeper and an opener in three Test match series against England.
He played 79 Test matches during his career and scored 6227 with a fabulous average of 47.53.
In 1958, he scored a remarkable 256 runs (the highest score ever made by R. Kanhai) in an inning against India at Calcutta and also made 217 runs against Pakistan on the same tour.

Centuries and Test career stats:-

Career Batting Stats

Right-Handed Batsman

Format	M	Inn	NO	Runs	HS	Avg	BF	SR	100s	50s	4s	6s

Test 1957–74	79	137	6	6227	256	47.5	2781	-	15	28	561	23

Rohan Kanhai playing a shot in a test match.

ODI Career:-

R. Kanhai made his ODI debut against England at Leeds on 5 September 1973.
During his career, the ODI format was introduced to cricket. In 1973, he played his first ODI match and scored a half-century against England.
He was a part of the 1975 ODI World Cup-winning West Indies team. He also scored a remarkable fifty runs in the final match.
This was the last match for this legendary player. After that, he disappeared into the pages of history.

Interesting fact:-

R. Kanhai was an opponent of Sunil Gavaskar in his debut series. During that series, he encouraged S. Gavaskar to concentrate. He said, "Don't you want to score a century...?" No wonder later, S. Gavaskar named his son Rohan Gavaskar after him to honour the legend. Even after 50 years, S. Gavaskar still talks about R. Kanhai because he was so impressed by him.

Career Batting Stats

Right-Handed Batsman

Format	M	Inn	NO	Runs	HS	Avg	BF	SR	100s	50s	4s	6s

ODI 1973–75	7	5	2	164	55	54.7	273	60.1	0	2	19	1

Rohan Kanhai was playing a shot during an ODI match.

Golden Milestones:-

In the 1961 test series, he scored hundreds in both innings of a Test match against Australia at Adelaide.
He is one of the oldest living players. He is now 87 years old.
Another milestone is that he lost his wicket on 99 runs in a Test match against India on 21 Jan1959, at Chennai.

Career Fielding Stats

Wicketkeeper

Format	Catches	Run Outs	Stumpings

Test 1957–74	50	0	0

ODI 1973–75	4	0	0

Rohan Kanhai received Wisdon cricket Award.

Last Ride:-

R. Kanhai played his last Test match against England on 30/3/1974 at Port of Spain.
He played his final ODI's remarkable inning against Australia on 21/6/1975 at Lord's.