Had Virat Kohli played in Colombo, the result would have been different: ex-IND batter

Former India batsman Mohammed Kaif has said that if Virat Kohli had played in the Colombo Test, the result would have been different. India were chasing victory on Day 5, with Sri Lanka just four wickets away and a slim 16-run lead.

However, Sonal Dinusha played the innings of his lifeand ensured that the hosts he 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.

Kaif said on his YouTube channel that if Kohli was in the team, he wouldn’t stop shouting at the players and make sure they stay switched on.

“Playing Test cricket is not everyone’s cup of tea, boss. It’s a very long game and you have to keep bowling. I felt like if someone like Virat Kohli was playing this match, he’d be shouting all the time and keeping his team on. At times I felt we took things for granted, we thought, ‘Just keep bowling, it’s going to happen,'” said Ka, when it was going to spin so much.

‘IF HE WOULD GO FOR SONAL TOO’

Kaif further noted that he felt the Indian team’s energy was low and Kohli would ensure that. The former India batsman said Kohli should try Dinus in an attempt to unsettle him.

“We created very few things ourselves. Our energy level was also very low. That’s why I say if Virat Kohli had played this Test match, the result would have been different. The reason is that he would have said to everyone, ‘Come on, Sarfaraz, come on, Jaiswal,’ and he would have gone after Sonal as well. Who did we confront Kumar? We were with Kumar.

Kohli retired from Test cricket in May 2025 and has only played ODIs since then.

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Published on:

28 Aug 2026 16:00 IST