After making his debut for his country in all three forms in September 2024, 21-year-old Jacob Bethell has had an incredible year. The icing on the cake for Bethell's debut year at the pinnacle of cricket was that he won a trophy in his first IPL game, helping Royal Challengers Bengaluru win their first IPL championship this year.
Despite missing the playoffs because of international service, Bethell was crucial since he replaced fellow countryman Phil Salt halfway through the league stage of the competition when Salt was suffering from an illness. In his two games, Bethell made an impression, scoring a scorching half-century against CSK, which included opening the batting with Virat Kohli for 97 runs.
Jacob Bethell had nothing but good things to say about his time with the RCB when he talked to Sky Cricket about his experience in the dressing room. Bethell claimed to have gained a lot from simply having access to a player of Kohli's caliber. "It's been great. [Virat] was unbelievable with helping me out, and even just the things he didn't say to me personally, but just watching how he goes about training and how he approaches things. Especially like chasing in a T20 game. That was unbelievable to watch and unbelievable to see firsthand, just how easily he is able to shift up and down the gears and is able to template an innings depending on what is needed,” he said.
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Jacob Bethell wants to make big impression for England
One of the brightest stars in English cricket, Bethell has already scored some spectacular runs in all three forms, including an outstanding 82 against the West Indies on the day when RCB defeated PBKS in the Qualifier 1 match. They would then defeat PBKS in the final to win the trophy.
In the upcoming five-match Test series against India, the southpaw batting all-rounder will be a crucial component of England's strategy. He is probably going to bat at number three and will be hoping to make a big impression against a formidable rival, whether or not Virat Kohli is playing.
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