Former Indian cricketer Mohammad Kaif said Tests demand sustained effort, suggesting someone like Virat Kohli could have kept India switched on and prevented lethargy in their drawn second Test against Sri Lanka.
India were pushing for a win on Day 5 with Sri Lanka four wickets down and holding a 16-run lead
. But Sonal Dinusha produced a brilliant knock as the hosts declared at 429/9, setting India a 216-run target.The two teams shook hands, bringing the game to a draw. Speaking on his YouTube channel, Kaif said that Kohli’s presence could have kept India alert, with the former skipper pushing the cricketers to stay switched on.
“Playing Tests isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, boss. It’s 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,” Kaif said.
“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,” Kaif said.
The former India cricketer added that he felt the team lacked energy and believed Kohli would have lifted the intensity. Kaif also suggested Kohli would have tried to unsettle Dinusha by getting into a verbal exchange with 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, the result would have been different,” Kaif said.
“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,” Kaif added.
Kohli retired from Tests in May 2025 and from T20Is in June 2024 and now only plays ODIs.
