Zee News Exclusive: Virat Kohli's mindset is like 'we will find a way to win the match', says Mohammad Kaif

Former Indian player Mohammad Kaif feels India lost the Test series against South Africa because they could not perform on that decisive day.

He refused the argument that Team India comes under pressure of performance these days when playing overseas. He said under Kohli, the team's mindset has completely changed.

Hailing Team India and skipper Virat Kohli for their world dominance in the traditional format of the game, Kaif told Zee News English, "Virat kohli's mindset is like 'we are here to play, give us any condition, we will find a way to win the match'. India lost in South Africa, it's because on the day we could not perform, where we needed a partnership we could not deliver."

Kohli, late on Saturday (January 15) stepped down as captain of India's Test side and said he would like to excel as a player. 

Kaif feels Kohli is back in form, especially after that 79-run knock in the first innings of the third Test. He said Kohli may have failed to bring up his Test ton, that knock was nothing less than a hundred.  

He said, "The 79 Kohli scored in that match, the way he scored those runs, while losing partners at the other end, it was very special for me. He's a very big player and that innings, how he played that innings.... it was more than a century for me as Kohli scored those runs like a very high-class batsmen.

"People always talk about scoring 100s but the condition in South Africa at that moment were so difficult even if you compare the conditions to Australia, New Zealand etc, South Africa was the most difficult in my opinion and Kohli played brilliantly."

Kaif is so much impressed by that knock that he says he will personally show that knock to youngsters to motivate them,

"I will personally record that innings and show it to every youngster for motivation and tell them that you need to learn from this guy. Yes no century scored but you can definitely say that the old Virat Kohli known as the 'Run Machine' is back in form."