Personal Information
Full Name | Rohan Bholalall Kanhai |
Date of Birth | December 26, 1935 |
Nationality | Guyanese |
Height | 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m) |
Role | Batsman/Right-handed, Right arm medium Bowler |
Past Team(s) | |
Family | Mahendra Nagamootoo (Nephew) |
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Rohan Kanhai: A Brief Biography
Rohan Kanhai Biography
Rohan Kanhai is a former West Indies cricketer, who played 79 Test matches for his country. Born on 26 December 1935, his ancestors were from Bihar in India.
He is widely considered to be one of the best batsmen of the 1960s. Kanhai was also the part of Prudential Cup '75 (1975 Cricket World Cup) winning team.
Background
Kanhai made his first-class debut with British Guiana, after which he played for various teams like Guyana, North of South Africa (SACBOC), Tasmania, Transvaal (SACB) in the Howa Bowl, Trinidad, Warwickshire, and Western Australia.
Playing for Warwickshire, Kanhai has scored 11,615 runs at an average of 51.62, which is the highest for any batsman till today.
International Debut
Kanhai’s Test debut was during the West Indies' 1957 tour of England where he kept wicket for his first three Tests, in addition to being the opening batsman.
Kanhai scored 42 runs in his debut match. In the latter part of his career, ODI matches came into play and he played his first ODI against England in 1973 and scored a half-century.
Achievements
Kanhai played at a robust average of 47.53 throughout his career, scoring 6,227 runs in 79 Tests, with his highest score of 256, coming against India in a Test at Calcutta.
Kanhai’s batting average was the fifth-highest among all Windies cricketers when he took retirement. He also captained the West Indies team in later part of his career.
Indian opening batsmen Sunil Gavaskar and Australian spin bowler Robert Holland, both named their son Rohan, in honor of Kanhai.
Retirement
After his form dipped in 1974, he took the decision to retire from Tests. After that, he played only ODIs and was a part 1975 World Cup winning team of West Indies. He scored a fifty in the final of the tournament.
After retirement, Kanhai named as a coach for the national side. He served West Indies cricket as a coach until 1995 when Andy Roberts took over.