England star's IPL highlight: Opening with King Kohli

England's Jacob Bethell shares his incredible IPL experience opening the batting with Virat Kohli, describing the deafening crowd roar and Kohli's off-field demeanor.

Jacob Bethell, an emerging English talent, recently shared his extraordinary experience of opening the batting alongside Virat Kohli at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium. This memorable event occurred during Bethell's tenure with Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the 2025 and 2026 Indian Premier League seasons.

Bethell recounted the overwhelming sensory experience of walking out to bat, describing the stadium as "bouncing" and the crowd's noise as immense. He vividly recalled hitting his second ball for a boundary and hearing an unprecedented roar from the spectators.

Beyond the electrifying matchday atmosphere, Bethell offered insights into Kohli's character off the field. He characterized the former RCB captain as a "chilled individual," easy to talk to and be around, a stark contrast to his intensely competitive on-field persona.

During the 2026 IPL season, Bethell scored 163 runs in nine matches. He has previously acknowledged the significant impact Kohli, Rajat Patidar, and Dinesh Karthik had on improving his game, particularly his technique against spin bowling, during his time with RCB.

Disclaimer: This story has been auto-aggregated and auto-summarised by a computer program. This story has not been edited or created by the Feedzop team.