Change starts with self belief and right mindset: Richards and Lara's advice to Chase and Co

New Delhi, Oct 9 (PTI) West Indies cricket may be at its nadir but the only way from here is up with self belief and the right attitude, the legendary Vivian Richards and Brian Lara told Roston Chase and his team ahead of the second Test match against India starting here on Friday.

Three former West Indies captains -- Richards, Lara and Richie Richardson -- were in the national capital and met the current Test squad during a promotional event on Wednesday.

"Yes, we had a team event yesterday, and I had the privilege of speaking with all three (Richards, Lara and Richardson) of them. They told me to keep believing — we may be down at the moment, but things will change," Chase said on the eve of the Test match All three urged them to play positive cricket during the next few days.

"That change can start now, and it begins with the belief and mindset of every player. My focus is to keep motivating the guys so that we continue playing positive cricket and turn around our current situation." Chase feels that lack of quality among Test batters is largely due to the standard of first-class cricket in the islands.

"I can’t speak for everyone, but from my own perspective, it comes down to confidence and playing enough quality first-class cricket.

"The more time you spend facing good bowling attacks, the more you learn to handle pressure and improve on your weaknesses. When you start your career, opponents don’t know much about you, but after a few matches, they pick on your flaws. It’s up to the players to identify those areas early and work hard to correct them," he explained.

Chase also didn't agree with the notion that batters in his team lack confidence.

"I don’t think confidence is lacking. It’s more about getting that one big innings to build momentum. Once a player gets a solid 50 or a hundred, it boosts belief for everyone. We didn’t start the series well as a batting unit, and the pressure is on." "It’s important for us to absorb that pressure and then transfer it back onto the Indian bowlers. We just need a few players to kick on from their starts — once that happens, things will look much better." Earlier on Thursday, Shubman Gill spoke about a country's cricket foundation depending on a good Test team and the not other way round. Chase agreed with his Indian counterpart.

"Red-ball cricket is the foundation. If you can play the longer format well, it’s easier to adapt to ODIs and T20s — but the reverse is tough. A strong base in red-ball cricket teaches you discipline, technique, and temperament.

"While white-ball cricket is more glamorous these days, all the true legends of the game made their names in Test cricket. It remains the ultimate challenge for any cricketer." While Chase hasn't been a very sought after cricketer in top T20 leagues, he believes that pride of wearing the Maroon Test cap can't be compared to playing in franchise based tournaments.

"For me, representing the West Indies has always been a dream. I had the chance to play franchise cricket, but I gave that up because I wanted to play for my country.

"Taking on the captaincy role now is a big responsibility, and it shows my commitment. I want to wear the maroon, and I’ll always give my all for it." PTI KHS KHS BS BS