Little England Jacob in Bethel He has opened up about the unforgettable experience of opening batting on the sidelines Virat Kohli at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium during his time with Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), describing the atmosphere as unlike anything he had seen before.Bethell, who joined RCB after being signed in the 2025 IPL mega auction, shared the dressing room with Kohli during the franchise’s 2025 and 2026 seasons.
‘I remember being nervous’
Speaking on the Super Over podcast on YouTube, Bethell admitted that she was very nervous before arriving at her first home in Bengaluru.“That was crazy. I remember I was very nervous before. It was my first game in front of the fans at home. I was scared to say the least. But as soon as I got to the floor, I just felt happy. I ran out of drinks because of the huge competition. Looking at the sky and wanting to get a piece of it,” said Jacob Bethell. “We were walking to hit. I just hear myself and think … the place is jumping, there is no difference. You feel like they are above you. Fortunately, we managed to put a few runs; I scored a few, they scored a few. I remember that I hit my second ball for four and I never heard a loud noise, “he added.
‘Virat is very cold’
Bethell also highlighted Kohli’s personality away from form, saying that the former RCB captain is more relaxed than he is on the pitch.“Away from cricket and off the field, he’s a really cool guy. Good to talk to, good to spend time with. But it’s a skill to be able to get into that kind of competition in and around cricket or education,” Bethell said. Bethell’s 2026 IPL campaign produced 163 runs in nine matches at an average of 140.52, but the England all-rounder cited Kohli, Rajat Patidar and Dinesh Karthik in a video sent by RCB for their official performance in helping him improve his game, particularly against spin, during his time with Bengaluru.