As India and West Indies line up for the second Test in Delhi, the conversation around the cricket world isn’t about pitches or player form – it’s about passion. With Brian Lara publicly questioning whether cricket is still “at the heart” of the West Indian players, both captains – India’s Shubman Gill and West Indies’ Roston Chase – have offered a sobering reflection on the state of Test cricket and where it stands in today’s era of franchise riches and shifting priorities.

For Gill, who is leading India in only his second Test series as captain, the message was clear – the red ball remains the base, the heartbeat, of a cricketing nation’s success.

“I feel as a cricketing nation, whoever plays cricket, if your red-ball base is very strong, then you automatically do well in ODI and T20,” Gill said. “If you look at any team – England, Australia – their Test teams are very good. It’s a natural thing that your one-day and T20 team will do well. Maybe their players’ focus is more on T20 and leagues… when your focus is only on that, and you forget the base from where the game started, the struggle begins.”

Gill’s words echo a philosophy that has long defined Indian cricket. While the IPL’s financial magnetism is undeniable, India’s domestic red-ball system – led by the Ranji Trophy – continues to produce Test-ready cricketers. The current generation, from Gill himself to Shreyas Iyer and Mohammed Siraj, have all come through that route. The result: India has remained among the top Test nations for over a decade, even as T20 has redefined cricketing economies.

For Roston Chase, West Indies’ test captain, the sentiment was strikingly similar – though tinged with a sense of loss.

“Red-ball is the foundation,” Chase said. “If you can play red-ball cricket, you can then transition into any other format. But the other way around – white-ball to red-ball – that’s harder. All the legends of cricket have been made from red-ball cricket. It’s the ultimate test and the ultimate challenge for any cricketer.”

Chase’s words point to a deeper problem. Once the flagbearers of flair and fearlessness in Test cricket, West Indies have seen their red-ball fortunes collapse under the weight of T20 leagues and financial strain. With limited funding, outdated infrastructure, and a generation of players chasing sustainable careers in global T20 leagues, the Caribbean’s red-ball system has thinned out.

Lara’s criticism – that some players no longer carry the same hunger – comes not from nostalgia but from heartbreak. The nation that once produced Viv Richards, Clive Lloyd, and Curtly Ambrose now struggles to retain its brightest talents in the longer format.

The contrast between the two captains’ realities couldn’t be sharper. India’s red-ball structure is a conveyor belt; West Indies’ is a patchwork. Yet, philosophically, both Gill and Chase converge on one timeless truth – Test cricket remains the highest examination of skill, temperament, and heart.

As the Delhi Test unfolds, the scoreboard may once again tilt India’s way. But beneath the numbers lies a more poignant story – of two captains from very different worlds, united in their belief that Test cricket is still the soul of the game, even as it fights to stay alive in one half of it.