1975 CWC: Kanhai “manufactured his own shots”—40 years before T20 cricket

Fazeer Mohammed Friday 9 May 2025 Cricket, Volley Leave a comment

(Part eight.) Ultimate dasher.

Garry Sobers’ untimely injury presented another recently-retired senior pro with the opportunity to appear at the 1975 World Cup.

And with 43 days to go to the 50th anniversary of the West Indies’ triumph in the final at Lord’s, Rohan Kanhai takes centre stage.

Maverick West Indies batsman Rohan Kanhai in full flight.
Photo: Stabroeknews.

Initially the team’s wicketkeeper-batsman, Kanhai eventually gave up duties behind the stumps to become a mainstay in the top order of the dominant Caribbean side of the 1960s.

Kanhai’s tally of 6,227 runs from 79 Tests at 47.53 including 15 centuries justifies the mainstay tag. But few of those innings were of the sheet-anchor variety.

Even with the incomparable Sobers in the same line-up, Kanhai suffered nothing by comparison—as his flamboyance, daring and outright refusal to be contained by even the finest bowlers of the time, made him one of the most exciting batsmen of that era.

A greying Rohan Kanhai lost none of his poise and sense of command at the crease and grew to relish English conditions after his tough baptism in 1957, rolling out the runs for West Indies on tour or for Warwickshire in the English County Championship.
(via India Times.)

Kanhai’s double-centuries in India and Pakistan in 1958/59 and twin hundreds in the Adelaide Test of the historic 1960/61 series in Australia stand out among his exploits.

And, as with the legendary all-rounder, it wasn’t just about the numbers runs he accumulated but the manner in which he kept the scoreboard attendants busy.

Of course Kanhai had all the shots from the coaching manuals. But never one to be constrained by orthodoxy, he also manufactured his own—more than 40 years before the advent of the T20 format prompted more creative ways of scoring.

Always looking for a way to score, Rohan Kanhai’s “falling hook shot”, as seen here against England, became a trademark of the batsman who refused to be contained by any bowler in any conditions.
(via Cricket World.)

One of the definitive images of the rampaging Kanhai was the right-hander almost flat on his back yet perfectly poised as he followed the flight of the ball towards fine-leg, having hoisted it off a good length to the bewilderment of the bowler and maybe some of his own teammates watching the performance from the pavilion.

Having overcome a mediocre start through ten Tests (in England in 1957 and at home to Pakistan the next year), he blossomed on the Indian sub-continent.

From there he never looked back and such was his status in a powerful regional side that Kanhai, Sobers and opening batsman Conrad Hunte were hailed as the natural successors to the legendary three Ws, Everton Weekes, Frank Worrell and Clyde Walcott, who dominated West Indies batting in the 1950s.

Iconic West Indies batsman Rohan Kanhai plays against Surrey.
Copyright: Getty Images.

Elevated to the captaincy in 1973, he engineered a series win—a first for the regional side in more than six years—in England that year but was replaced at the helm by Clive Lloyd after a drawn series at home to the English early in 1974.

If embittered by the way he felt he was treated, Kanhai nevertheless answered the call to replace the injured Sobers for the inaugural World Cup and played a key role in the final, as will be highlighted later in this series.

Next: Clive Lloyd leads the way.

Fazeer Mohammed

Fazeer Mohammed is a journalist/broadcaster with almost 40 years’ experience across a range of media.
His interest in cricket, and particularly its history, started at home via his father’s small collection of autobiographies and magazines, offering perspectives and context which have informed his commentary and analysis on contemporary issues in the game.

1975 CWC: Kanhai “manufactured his own shots”—40 years before T20 cricket

Check Also

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

wired868