Brian Lara visits Windies dressing room, interacts with coach and captain

New Delhi, Oct 11 (PTI) The pain was evident on his face as India tightened the noose around the West Indies, but legendary batter Brian Lara still made it a point to visit the visitors' dressing room after the second day’s play in the second Test. The 56-year-old Lara is here alongside Viv Richards as a part of 'Mission India' campaign as they are trying to help the cash-strapped Cricket West Indies get some extra funds which will help them revive the dilapidated structure of their long-form game.

"Brian Lara did visit the West Indies dressing room after the end of the day's play. He didn't make any general address to the players but spoke (separately) to coach Darren Sammy and captain Roston Chase and a couple of players," a source privy to the development told PTI.

"He was around for close to 20 minutes. The discussion was more generic about the health of West Indies cricket and way forward." If you want to get things done, you have to have the capital to do it. So that is a major part, Lara had recently said at a private awards function.

But while finances are a necessity, he had back then questioned the intent of the players.

"But at the same time, I would like to ask Roston Chase and the other guys… do they have the cricket at heart? Do they really want to play for West Indies? And that is the most important thing because you would find a way." "We did not have better facilities 30–40 years ago. Viv Richards didn't bat on any better practice pitches or anything. We had to do the same thing, the same grind; but the passion was different. The passion to play for West Indies was different.

"So I urge the young players to realise that this is a wonderful opportunity. And I am almost sure that every single one of their parents would have had in the back of their mind, their son playing for the West Indies, their son doing well for the West Indies because it meant a lot back in those days," Lara had said. PTI KHS KHS AT AT