'It was Sachin but currently Virat Kohli' - Umar Gul when asked about his favourite batsman

Virat Kohli has been one batsman who has garnered a lot of respect through the last few years. When he started out in 2008, there were a lot of external things which you could talk about him. However, it’s his performance which has been making talks since 2011. The right-handed batsman has grown from strength to strength. It should be noted that it has been an upwards journey from him for some time now.

Umar Gul might be not remembered by many cricket fans, but people who remember him, know how good a bowler he was. He was one of the few bowlers who kept playing all three formats during a time when bowlers were trying to get a round-up and clear their priorities.

His behaviour on the field when he started playing against us to now has totally changed: Umar Gul on Virat Kohli

In a recent interaction, the right-arm fast-bowler talked about his favourite batsman. He revealed that he loves watching the Indian captain, Virat Kohli. He also said that Sachin Tendulkar was his favourite batsman earlier. The 36-year-old pacer also revealed that he enjoys watching Kohli bat. He also pointed out how Kohli has changed himself from the time he made his debut. He revealed how his concentration has now been focussed towards the performance.

“It was Sachin Tendulkar but currently Virat Kohli. In the last 4-5 years, the way Virat Kohli has been performing, he is my favourite batsman. The way he has changed himself. His behaviour on the field when he started playing against us to now has totally changed. All his concentration now is on his performances. The way he plays, I enjoy watching his batting,” Gul said while speaking in a show CricCast.

Umar Gul was a mainstay of Pakistan’s bowling line-up between 2006 and 2012. He has seen many highs with the Pakistan team. He was their front-line choice for many tours and series. The Peshawar-born pacer has played 47 Tests picking up 163 wickets. He also played 130 ODIs and 60 T20Is, picking up 179 and 85 scalps respectively.

Interestingly, he was one of those Pakistani players who featured in the inaugural season of the Indian Premier League. He had picked up 12 wickets from his six matches with the Kolkata Knight Riders.