'Pretty happy with where I am' - Bethell on IPL vs County debate

"I definitely don't think it [IPL] is going to hurt my career or stop me from getting better. I think it's going to do the opposite."

Jacob Bethell has no doubt he made the right call by honouring his IPL deal with Royal Challengers Bengaluru despite calls from certain quarters in England for him to prioritise the County Championship ahead of the Test summer.

"This is the marquee tournament of the year, with some of the best cricketers in the world playing in it," Bethell said ahead of RCB's Raipur leg of IPL 2026. "I definitely don't think it's going to hurt my career or stop me from getting better. I think it's going to do the opposite."

The debate was started by Alastair Cook, who felt Bethell would have been better off playing red-ball cricket rather than "sitting on his arse" at the IPL. Kevin Pietersen strongly disagreed, arguing that simply being part of the IPL ecosystem can accelerate a young player's growth in ways some may not fully appreciate.

Cook's comments had come when Bethell had not featured in any of RCB's first six matches. Since then, he has opened in four games, even if the runs have been harder to come by. Bethell, though, remains unmoved by the outside noise.RelatedBethell keen to cement No. 3 Test berth despite IPL downtime

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"Everyone's allowed to have their opinions," he said. "That's absolutely fine. Everyone thinks differently, but from a personal point of view, I think I've made the right decision. At the end of the day, I'm pretty happy with where I am."

Even before the IPL got underway, Bethell's stunning hundred against India in the T20 World Cup semi-final had sparked conversations around whether RCB could somehow squeeze him into their XII. For a while, they couldn't. But Phil Salt's finger injury opened the door.

So far, though, Bethell has not quite managed to seize the opportunity, with scores of 14, 20, 5 and 4 in his four innings. Yet there were enough signs on Saturday that the management's faith remains intact. Bethell was the first batter to hit the nets alongside Virat Kohli during RCB's brief training session in Raipur that was cut short by a spell of torrential rain.

Bethell himself, however, isn't taking that backing for granted."It definitely is tricky to find your rhythm when you're not spending as much time in the middle as you would like. The main thing I'm trying to do personally is always look at what impact I can make in the next game"

"I never really feel like I'm fighting for a spot. At the end of the day, I haven't scored the runs I've wanted to," he said. "And that's not helped the team. My aim as a batter is to go out there and score runs and get us off to a good start, and I haven't done that.

"So it's not from a place of looking behind my back and fighting for a spot, it's more from a hunger to actually contribute to this team. It doesn't feel good when you're not contributing at all to wins. And especially now that we've lost the last couple of games, there's a burning desire in there to go out there and put in a match-winning performance [against Mumbai Indians]."

Bethell believes the challenge is finding his rhythm after not spending enough time at the crease.

"As batters, we all strive for perfection - it's pretty unattainable," he said. "It definitely is tricky to find your rhythm when you're not spending as much time in the middle as you would like. The main thing I'm trying to do personally is always look at what impact I can make in the next game.Bethell has enjoyed opening the innings alongside Virat Kohli•BCCI

"I can't lie, I've not got off to the start that I would have wanted to come out to the start of this tournament. But at the end of the day, the only game that matters is the one tomorrow, and then when tomorrow's done, it's the next one. My only focus is what's going to happen first ball tomorrow, and I think that, over a long period of time, will stand me in good stead."

After fielding questions on form, scrutiny and even the opinions of former England captains, Bethell finally cracked up when asked about AB de Villiers comparing him to Vaibhav Sooryavanshi.

"I'm not sure about Vaibhav [comparisons]. To be honest, I don't think I've ever scored 50 in 14 balls or whatever," Bethell laughed. "Vaibhav's obviously a great player but to have someone like AB mention me in those remarks is pretty cool."

Pretty cool, too, has been the chance to open alongside Virat Kohli - something Bethell has spoken glowingly about ever since making his RCB debut last season.

"It's cool, I've said it multiple times how cool it is to bat with him and be involved in the dressing room with him," Bethell reiterated. "I don't think it adds any more pressure [on him]. I think it's just nice to have someone of that calibre in your team, you can count on him.

"And also, batting with him, a lot of the time people are only watching him, so a lot of the pressure is off. But yeah, it's not something that burdens you, it's more something that allows you to play freely, I guess."

As the press conference wound down, Bethell was asked to pick his top four.

"Pretty easy - RCB and three others."