Rohan Kanhai always excelled in the company of some of the greats in his playing days. During his debut Test at Edgbaston in May 1957, he was part of a West Indies XI that included Sonny Ramadhin, Clyde Walcott, Garfield Sobers, Frank Worrell and of course Everton Weekes.

Having seen the who’s who of West Indies cricket from close quarters, Kanhai makes it a point to make special mention of Weekes’ class.

“When it comes to batsmanship, Weekes is second to none. I played 10 Tests with him... I was mostly in awe of him but he made sure his status never came in the way of our relationship.

“He was a perfect gentleman and great inspiration to several players, including me. He’s the best for me... A player in the classic mould who excelled in playing along the ground,” Kanhai, 84, told The Telegraph from his Blackpool residence in England on Thursday.

One of Kanhai’s early memories of Weekes was the first Test of the home series against Pakistan in January 1958. Promising opener Easton McMorris wasn’t included and Kanhai opened with Conrad Hunte, who made 142 while Weekes stroked a masterful 197.

But his most endearing memory of Weekes was the Lord’s Test, the second of Kanhai’s career. West Indies could muster only 127 in the first innings while England rode Colin Cowdrey’s 152 to amass 424. West Indies failed to save the Test but not before Weekes recorded another classic 90.

“For me, that will always remain his best. He played with a broken finger. It was a green top and the likes of Brian Statham, Fred Trueman and Trevor Bailey were spitting fire. That was a tremendous show of batsmanship,” Kanhai recalled.

“When I came into the team, he was already established with an awesome record. Alongside Clyde Walcott and Frank Worrell, Weekes formed a formidable batting unit.

“The three Ws carried our batting on their shoulders for years. It was a treat to watch them in sync. Other West Indian batsmen have come along but none could match them,” Kanhai said.

The former West Indies captain though didn’t wish to compare Weekes with other batsmen, including another great, Viv Richards.

“I don’t do that,” Kanhai said. “Look at his record. He’s the only man who was adept in playing in all conditions. You can’t compare him with anyone.

“Weekes on his own is incomparable. You need to look at his style, poise and grace. They would come in hordes to just see him bat.

“As a human being, he was amazing. He would always give you due credit and thank you for your contributions. His passing away is a personal loss to me,” Kanhai said.

Sobers’ tribute

Sir Garry Sobers too paid rich tributes from his Barbados residence.

“Well, indeed he was one of the greatest cricketers of all time, though I would not like to get into comparisons. He was already 95 and certainly played a long innings. I have had many moments with him and all of them have been memorable ones. I still savour them,” said the legendary former West Indies captain.

“Everton had command in coaching too, he was instrumental in the development of players like Charlie Griffith and Seymour Nurse.”

Additional reporting by Sayak Banerjee