Rohan Kanhai facts for kids
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| Full name |
Rohan Bholalall Kanhai
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| Born | 26 December 1935 Port Mourant, British Guiana |
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| Batting | Right-handed | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bowling | Right arm medium | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Role | Batsman, occasional wicket-keeper | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Relations | Tyrone Etwaroo (nephew) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| International information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| National side | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Test debut (cap 94) | 30 May 1957 v England | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last Test | 5 April 1974 v England | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ODI debut (cap 8) | 5 September 1973 v England | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last ODI | 21 June 1975 v Australia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Domestic team information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1954–1974 | British Guiana/Guyana | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1959–1960 | Berbice | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1961/62 | Western Australia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1964/65 | Trinidad and Tobago | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1968–1977 | Warwickshire | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1969/70 | Tasmania | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1974/75 | Transvaal | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career statistics | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Source: Cricinfo, 31 October 2009
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Rohan Bholalall Kanhai (born 26 December 1935) is a famous former cricket player from Guyana. He played for the West Indies in 79 Test matches. Many people think he was one of the best batsmen of the 1960s.
Kanhai played on many strong West Indies teams. He played alongside other cricket legends like Sir Garfield Sobers and Clive Lloyd. A writer named C. L. R. James once called Kanhai "the high peak of West Indian cricketing development." He also praised Kanhai's exciting and "adventuresome" style of play. Kanhai was a key part of the West Indies team that won the very first 1975 Cricket World Cup.
Contents
Rohan Kanhai's Cricket Journey
Early Career and Test Debut
Rohan Kanhai started his Test cricket career in 1957. This was during the West Indies' tour of England. For his first three Test matches, he played as a wicket-keeper and also opened the batting. Later, another player, Gerry Alexander, took over the wicket-keeping role.
Batting Style and Achievements
Kanhai was a right-handed batsman. He scored a total of 6,227 runs in his 79 Test matches. His batting average was 47.53, which is very good. His highest score was an amazing 256 runs against India in a Test match in Calcutta. When Kanhai retired, his batting average was one of the highest for West Indian cricketers.
He was known for his unique and exciting shots. One of his most famous shots was called the "falling hook". After hitting the ball, he would often end up lying on his back! He famously used this shot during a match in England in 1963. His score of 77 runs in that game helped the West Indies win.
In the final of the 1975 Cricket World Cup, Kanhai was in his 40s. He scored a steady half-century (over 50 runs). This score helped set up the game for Clive Lloyd to play a very powerful innings.
Leading the West Indies Team
Later in his career, Rohan Kanhai became the captain of the West Indies team. He took over from Gary Sobers. Kanhai helped the team become even more determined and strong.
After he stopped playing, the West Indies asked him to be their first national cricket coach. He first coached the under-19 teams. Then, in 1992, he became the coach for the main Test team. He worked as a coach until 1995.
Playing for Different Teams
Throughout his long first-class cricket career, Kanhai played for many different teams. These included British Guiana and Guyana. He also played for teams in South Africa, Tasmania, Trinidad, and Western Australia.
He also played county cricket in England for Warwickshire. He scored 11,615 first-class runs for Warwickshire. His average of 51.62 for the county is one of the highest for any batsman who played there for a long time.
Kanhai's Legacy and Honors
Rohan Kanhai's impact on cricket was huge. The famous Indian opening batsman Sunil Gavaskar admired him so much that he named his son, Rohan, after Kanhai. Gavaskar wrote that Kanhai was "the greatest batsman I have ever seen." Another Australian cricketer, Bob Holland, also named his son Rohan in his honor.
There is even a pub in England named after him! It's in Ashington, Northumberland. This is because Kanhai played for the Ashington Cricket Club in 1963-64. He helped them win both the cup and the league. When he played there, many people came to watch. Other famous West Indies players, like Garfield Sobers, also came to play in his special benefit matches.
In 2009, Rohan Kanhai was honored for his amazing career. He was inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame. This means he is recognized as one of the greatest cricketers of all time.
Images for kids
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This graph shows Rohan Kanhai's performance in Test Matches. The red bars show his scores in each innings. The blue line shows his average score over his ten most recent innings.
