The former England captain Alastair Cook had urged the Royal Challengers Bengaluru player, Jacob Bethell to come back to county cricket rather than sitting on the bench in the IPL. Jacob Bethell is yet to play a game in this season but he seems to be in terms with the situation. He stated that he may not get as much game time as County cricket but to be performing in the IPL could be a total experience. Kevin Pietersen had also backed the youngster to remain in the IPL as he may not get the game time but he will surely be an improved version of himself.

"He’s sitting on his arse at the IPL not doing anything. Ideally, he could come back and open for Warwickshire to help England,” said Alastair Cook. The Royal Challengers Bengaluru are the defending champions and they have a pretty settled squad for now. To break into that squad right away seems a bit difficult considering the form of Phil Salt and Tim David. Jacob Bethell will know that it is a part of the game and to share the dressing room with super stars at this age, is a huge learning experience.

 

IPL bench over County Cricket? Experts split as Jacob Bethell backs India stay

“Alastair Cook has absolutely NO IDEA what it's like to be in the IPL. What's it's like to always be around the best players in the world? So his opinion on Jacob Bethell doesn't matter at all. Stay in India, Jacob. I know, even though you're not playing, you're learning and will be a way better player,” wrote Kevin Pietersen on X.

Kevin Pietersen was the mentor of the Delhi Capitals in the previous season and he was also a player of the Rising Pune Supergiants. The experience that youngsters get at the IPL is immeasurable as you have world-class coaching facilities and star players surrounding you. With the immense potential that Jacob Bethell possesses, he could learn so much from the coaches and from his teammates like Virat Kohli himself. Alastair Cook seems to be thinking from the perspective of the national squad rather than the development of the player.

“You might not get the amount of time in the middle as [you would in] the County Championship and playing four rounds of that, but I think in terms of the ability to actually just continue doing what you want to do when there are loads of eyes on you, [being in India] is really important for me personally going forwards. I firmly believe that this is the thing for me to be doing right now,” said Jacob Bethell. The dynamics of the IPL could sometimes be really cruel to the player especially with the cap on four foreigners in the starting squad. In a team like RCB, Jacob Bethell would be looking to learn as much as he can and he could even get a chance in the upcoming games. The only foreign player that RCB could potentially bench could be Romario Shepherd. Jacob Bethell could be pushed up the order in case of early wickets and he could even chip in with a few overs.