Did India miss Virat Kohli in Colombo Test? Kaif opines
What's the story
Former Indian cricketer Mohammad Kaif has claimed that the result of the recently concluded Colombo Test would have been different if Virat Kohli had played. India was in a strong position to complete a 2-0 series sweep, but couldn't finish the job after Sri Lanka resumed the final day with six wickets down. The visitors managed only three more dismissals while Sonal Dinusha produced an unbeaten century to help the hosts secure a draw.
Match summary
How did the match pan out?
Electing to bat, India scored a massive 503/9d, riding on tons from Devdutt Padikkal and Dhruv Jurel.
Shubman Gill and Rishabh Pant also shone with half-centuries.
The visitors then bowled Sri Lanka out for 290 runs. Forced to follow on, Sri Lanka batted for 154 overs despite an early blow.
India could take only three wickets on the final day as Dinusha once again scuffed up India with an unbeaten ton. SL were 429/9 as the two teams shook hands.
Qualification challenge
Impact of draw on India
The draw left India with a 1-0 series victory and made their road to the World Test Championship (WTC) Final considerably tougher.
India remain fifth in the WTC standings, with Sri Lanka sixth, and now the former has now little room for error with seven Tests remaining.
They need to win at least six of those matches to keep control of their qualification hopes, with Australia also among their remaining opponents.
Leadership impact
Kohli's leadership and player management skills
Kaif pointed out that India's failure to maintain the required intensity in a long Test match contributed to their downfall.
He emphasized Kohli's leadership style, especially how he would constantly communicate with his teammates and keep the intensity high even during extended periods in the field.
"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 on his YouTube channel.
Game strategy
Other notable comments from Kaif
Kaif also said that India seemed to believe Sri Lanka's resistance would break on its own due to the conditions favoring spinners, instead of actively creating pressure for wickets.
He added that Kohli would have kept his teammates on their toes and directly challenged Dinusha during his marathon resistance.
"He would have been telling everyone, 'Come on, Sarfaraz, come on, Jaiswal,' and he would have gone after Sonal as well," Kaif said.
Stats
Kohli led India to 40 Test wins
Kohli led India in 68 Tests - the most by an Indian skipper. He owns 40 wins, 17 defeats and 11 draws as skipper.
He scored 5,864 runs as Team India captain, averaging 54.80 with 20 tons and 18 fifties.
Overall, Kohli featured in 123 Test matches for India before retiring from the format last year.
He scored 9,230 runs at 46.85. He has 30 tons and 31 fifties under his belt.