Watch: Jacob Bethell on walking out with Kohli at Chinnaswamy

The spin all-rounder of the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) from the 2026 season of the Indian Premier League (IPL), Jacob Bethell, reflected on his feeling of walking out to open with Virat Kohli at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. He was amazed by the atmosphere and loud cheer of the venue.

Bethell batted thrice during the recent five-match T20I series against India and celebrated an unbeaten knock of 76 runs during the second fixture at Old Trafford in Manchester. At Lord’s, during the third ODI, the left-handed batter drilled a fine knock of 91 runs.

What did Bethell say? His words on sharing the crease with Kohli

During a recent podcast on Super Over, Bethell looked back on his second game of the IPL when he was asked to open the batting with Kohli. He spoke about the incredible atmosphere of the venue, having run the drinks for most of the competition.

Watch Jacob Bethell's reflection on opening at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium-

“Yeah, that was really crazy. I still remember being very nervous before. It was only my second game, and it was the first game I was opening. I was nervous to say the least, but I felt a bit of a sense of excitement. I ran drinks for a lot of the competition, watching the incredible atmosphere; I just wanted a piece of it.” Bethell expressed in the video.

The England all-rounder also talked about the cool atmosphere when he smashed his second ball for a boundary, and he never heard the loud cheer ever in his life.

“Walking out with Virat Kohli, I couldn’t even hear myself think. The crowd just kept chanting, ‘Kohli! Kohli!’ and the whole stadium was bouncing. It felt like the crowd was on top of you. Luckily, we managed to put on a few runs. That was cool to be out there. Then I hit my second ball for four; I’ve never heard a sound that loud in my life.” The West Indies-born added.

Bethell's IPL 2026 contribution for RCB so far

Bethell has smashed 63 runs overall in nine innings of the IPL at an average of 18.11 and a strike rate of 140.51 with the help of one half-century at the best score of 55 runs. In 2025, he played only two innings and collected 67 runs at an average of 33.50 and a strike rate of 171.79 with the best score of 55.

In IPL 2026, the left-handed batter struggled so far while opening the batting and ended up with 96 runs in seven innings at an average of 13.71 and a strike rate of 124.67, with a best score of 27 runs.

The youngster will hope to get better in the shortest format and help the RCB side win their third successive trophy of the event.