England’s promising all-rounder, Jacob Bethell, has highlighted his recent experience in the Indian Premier League (IPL) as a crucial factor in managing the pressure of his Ashes debut at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. The 22-year-old delivered a composed 40 runs in England’s successful chase of 175, a performance that helped secure a four-wicket victory and mark the end of a significant winless streak in Australia. Bethell was a member of the IPL 2025 champion Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) team.
Bethell confessed to feeling nervous about the occasion but found the deafening crowds of India to be surprisingly good preparation. “I was pretty nervous. Not so much with the people, just the occasion, I guess. But I’ve played over in India where it feels like there’s 160,000 people watching,” he explained. “This atmosphere was incredible and it was nice to get a win and contribute.” He emphasized that even his brief IPL involvement instilled valuable confidence. “The IPL, I only played two games but every game and every occasion. Definitely, just knowing what I’m able to get out of myself when the situation is like that and when the atmosphere is like that. I definitely had a lot more confidence coming into this game after playing in front of, I don’t know, 50,000 – which felt like 100,000 – at the Chinnaswamy,” Bethell stated.
Regarding his future in Test cricket, Bethell expressed a desire to establish himself in the number three batting position. He sees the role as a challenging but rewarding one, offering chances to score aggressively. “I like three. You come in when the ball is new and in some scenarios the ball’s going all over the shop,” he said. “But in other scenarios it presents opportunities to score when bowlers are trying to take wickets and the field is attacking there’s loads of gaps. So it’s a double-edged sword but I’m enjoying it. I would like to (nail down the role). I would like to just nail down any role in the team to be honest. If you’re in the XI and contributing to winning I’m pretty happy with that.”