After former England captain Alastair Cook suggested Jacob Bethell to return to England and play county cricket, Kevin Pietersen has urged the England batter to remain in India and wait for his chance in the Indian Premier League.
The 22-year-old is yet to feature in a single game for Royal Challengers Bengaluru during the ongoing IPL season, which prompted Cook to suggest Bethell to return to England to play county cricket.
However, former England great Pietersen on Thurday dismissed Cook’s suggestion and asked Bethell to stay in India because the IPL exposure despite not getting game time would serve him well in the future.
“Alastair Cook has absolutely NO IDEA what it’s like to be in the IPL, What it’s like to always be around the best players in the world,” former England captain Pietersen said in an X post.
“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.”
Bethell responded to Cook’s comments on Wednesday, defending his decision to stay with RCB.
“It’s something that not many people will understand how cool it is until actually being around a team or the tournament itself when you’re here,” Bethell told Sky Sports.
“It just has a completely different feel. It feels like everyone almost ups their game subconsciously without even really knowing because of the calibre of the tournament.
“I feel like that even happens when you’re not on the starting XI or even starting XII as it might be now with the impact player.”
Bethell is now being seen as a strong long-term option for a top-order spot in Tests.
His impressive 154 in the final Ashes Test in Sydney in January was a rare bright moment for England during their 4-1 series loss in Australia.
