Flamboyant West Indies batting legend Rohan Kanhai breezes his way into adventurous 90s 

Rohan Kanhai, one of the greatest legends of West Indies cricket, crossed yet another landmark in his illustrious life. On Friday, Kanhai reached the ripe old age of 90. He was among the first batch of Indian-origin players to represent the West Indies, and his flamboyant batting style won him countless fans. One of his most ardent fans was India’s own Little Master Sunil Gavaskar who named his son Rohan after the maestro from Guyana. But Sunny was not the only one to do this. Another Australian cricketer Bob Holland also named his son Rohan.

Kanhai’s batting was artistry with purpose. At a time when orthodoxy ruled the cricket fields across the world, Kanhai dazzled crowds with his audacious shots. His distinctive backlift, supple wrists, and his eagerness to attack the bowlers, brought excitement into the game. His signature shot was a falling down sweep which brought fans flocking to the grounds. Kanhai’s flamboyance was an expression of the adventurous approach of the West Indies players.

During the era of the past, before helmets and heavy bats were invented, Kanhai stood tall against the fiercest attacks with style and determination in equal measure. Kanhai made batting look joyful and fearless, and in doing so, he helped define the image of West Indies cricket in those days.

Kanhai played in Hyderabad

Hyderabad fans may be interested to know that Rohan Kanhai played in the Moin-ud-Dowla cricket tournament in the 1970s. He represented United Breweries.

This is what V Ramnarayan, former first-class cricketer from Hyderabad, has written in an article: “It was in this tournament (the Moin-ud-Dowla Gold Cup) that I, an unknown, bowled my first ball in first class cricket to Rohan Kanhai in 1973. It was my eight-wicket haul in the 1975 final against the Pataudi-led JK XI, which had batsmen of the calibre of Salim Durrani and the Amarnath brothers in it, that made me a Ranji Trophy player at the ripe old age of 28.”

For the West Indies, Kanhai played with some of the greatest names in the history of cricket. His first teammates included Sonny Ramadhin, Clyde Walcott, Everton Weekes, Garfield Sobers and Frank Worrell. Ten years later he played alongside Charlie Griffith, Wes Hall and Lance Gibbs. At the end of his Test career, he lined up with Roy Fredericks, Alvin Kallicharran, Clive Lloyd, Vanburn Holder and Andy Roberts.

As Rohan Kanhai celebrates his 90th birthday, fans will be likely to wish him a century in life too

Kanhai’s achievements on the field

In his international career, he played 79 Tests, scored 6227 runs with 15 centuries at an average of 47.53 and a highest score of 256.

He also played in the county championships in England for Warwickshire. Kanhai scored 1,000 runs in a season on 10 occasions, his most prolific year being 1970 when he hit 1,894 at an average of 57.39. He also hit 1,000 runs in a season once in Australia and once while touring India and Pakistan.

His highest score for Warwickshire was 253 against Nottinghamshire in 1968 at Trent Bridge. Kanhai and Jameson created a first-class world record with an unbroken stand of 465 for the second wicket for Warwickshire against Gloucestershire at Edgbaston in 1974; Jameson made 240 and Kanhai 213. In first-class cricket, he scored almost 30,000 runs with 86 centuries.

What others said about Kanhai

Former Australian cricketer Jack Fingleton, who played alongside Don Bradman and later became a well-known journalist, wrote about Kanhai: “He was a run-hungry young man, and he knew how to go about building a big score. He hit so hard to the leg side that often he fell over in the middle of the stroke and once hit a perfect sweep when prone on the ground.”

Kanhai’s sweep when prone on the ground, was a stroke that was uniquely his, no aberration. No one had played it before; no one has played it since

Another renowned cricket writer Neville Cardus described Kanhai’s prone sweep shot as the “Triumphant Fall.” Many other batters tried that shot, the Triumphant Fall, but all failed. Rival Aussie leg spinner Bill O’Reilly wrote: “Kanhai’s sweep when prone on the ground, was a stroke that was uniquely his, no aberration. No one had played it before; no one has played it since.”

One-day cricket was in its infancy when Kanhai’s career drew to a close, and he played only seven ODIs. However, he went out with a bang, appearing in the first World Cup final at Lord’s in 1975 against Australia. He scored 55 and added 149 with Clive Lloyd for the fourth wicket after West Indies was struggling at 50 for 3. The West Indies went on to win by 17 runs. It was a grand way to bring his career to an end.

Now as he celebrates his 90th birthday, fans will be likely to wish him a century in life too.