If Kohli played in Colombo, result would have been different: Ex-IND batter

Mohammed Kaif said Virat Kohli's presence could have changed the result of the Colombo Test between Sri Lanka and India. Kaif felt that the Indian players had a lack of intensity during the final day of play.Virat Kohli retired from Test cricket in 2025 (Reuters Photo)Former India batter Mohammed Kaif has made a big claim that if Virat Kohli had played in the Colombo Test, then the result would have been different. India were chasing victory on Day 5, with Sri Lanka having just four wickets remaining and a small lead of 16 runs.However, Sonal Dinusha played an innings of a lifetime, and ensured that the hosts scored 429/9 and declared with a lead of 216 runs. The two teams then decided to shake hands and end the match in a draw.Speaking on his YouTube channel, Kaif said that if Kohli was there in the team, he would have kept shouting at the players and ensured that they remained switched on.“Playing Test cricket is not everyone’s cup of tea, boss. It is a very long game, and you have to keep bowling continuously. I felt that if someone like Virat Kohli had been playing this match, he would have been constantly shouting and keeping his team switched on. At times, I felt we took things for granted, thinking, ‘Just keep bowling, it will happen. The ball is turning so much, it will happen on its own,'” said Kaif. 'KOHLI WOULD HAVE GONE AFTER SONAL AS WELL'Kaif further commented that he felt the energy of the Indian team was low and Kohli would have ensured it was up. The former India batter said that Kohli would ave had a go at Dinusha in a bid to unsettle him.“We created very few things ourselves. Our energy levels were also very low. That is why I am saying, if Virat Kohli had been playing this Test match, the result would have been different. The reason is that he would have been telling everyone, ‘Come on, Sarfaraz, come on, Jaiswal,’ and he would have gone after Sonal as well. Who were we getting into confrontations with? We were getting into confrontations with Kumara,” said Kaif. Kohli retired from Test cricket in May 2025 and has since been just playing ODIs.- EndsPublished On: Aug 28, 2026 16:00 IST