Brian Lara visits West Indies dressing room after Day 2 in Delhi, interacts with captain and coach

After the second day of the second Test in Delhi, cricket legend Brian Lara visited the West Indies dressing room, despite India tightening the noose around the visitors.

The 56-year-old Lara, here alongside Viv Richards as part of the ‘Mission India’ campaign, is working to help cash-strapped Cricket West Indies secure additional funds to revive the long-form structure of their game.

A source told PTI, “Brian Lara did visit the West Indies dressing room after the day’s play. He didn’t address the players collectively but spoke individually with coach Darren Sammy, captain Roston Chase, and a couple of players. He was around for close to 20 minutes. The discussion focused on the health of West Indies cricket and the way forward.”

Lara has emphasized that funding is crucial but not the only factor for progress. Speaking at a private awards function recently, he said, “If you want to get things done, you have to have the capital to do it. That’s a major part. But at the same time, I would like to ask Roston Chase and the other guys—do they have cricket at heart? Do they really want to play for West Indies? That’s the most important thing because if the passion is there, you will find a way.”

Reflecting on the challenges of his own era, Lara added, “We didn’t have better facilities 30–40 years ago. Viv Richards didn’t bat on superior practice pitches. We went through the same grind, but the passion was different—the passion to play for West Indies was different. I urge young players to realize this is a wonderful opportunity. Every parent would have dreamt of their son representing West Indies and performing well, because it meant so much back in those days.”