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A week after reserving harsh criticism for the Roston Chase-led Test side, West Indies’ legendary batter Brian Lara has hailed the team’s commitment through tough times. Lara admits that being with the current squad helped him realised the issues they are facing and how they are working towards overcoming them. The post came after West Indies avoided a defeat by an innings in the second Test at Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi.
“Firstly, I want to express with great humility, what an honour it was to be called upon to represent West Indies cricket at such a crucial time. I understand the current struggle and the restrictive financial situation, but like our players are showing presently, if we fight hard and believe in the cause there will be a light shining at the end of the tunnel to take us through it all," Lara wrote in a post on his Instagram.
"Being in the presence of the players brought me closer to their reality. The number of questions they asked showed me that they're not just going through the motions - they're searching for ways to lift themselves and the team out of this strife.”
Lara on legends’ importance on Test tours
John Campbell, Shai Hope's centuries followed by Justin Greaves' unbeaten fifty and no.11 batter Jayden Seales' gritty 32 helped West Indies set a target of 121. Lara urged Cricket West Indies to have the presence of their Test greats with the squads on tours to help them get better.
"Sometimes from the outside looking in, we assume their commitment is lacking, but we may be wrong. Often, they just need guidance," he wrote.
"Something for CWI to consider would be having one of our greats, and we have a few, to provide a presence amongst the team. Not necessarily travel as part of the team but to be seen and to be available for our players to bounce ideas off when they are searching for inspiration and breakthroughs."
Lara pointed how having legendary Viv Richards in attendance for an away tour helped the team.
"Seeing Sir Viv in the stands for an away game and also him being available at home when the team is there can only bring positive vibes to our cricket," he said. "The simple message to our players that we believe in them seemed to resonate more than we fathomed."
West Indies’ next Test challenge against WTC 2021 winners
West Indies are yet to win a Test in the current World Test Championship (WTC) cycle but their improved performance against India may give them confidence ahead of three-Test series on New Zealand soil in December.
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