Jacob Bethell, a young England batter, claimed that his IPL experience with Royal Challengers Bengaluru helped him handle the pressure of making his Ashes debut at the MCG.
The 22-year-old left-handed hitter ended an 18-match losing streak on Australian soil with a calm 40 as England chased down 175 to win the fourth Ashes Test.
“I was pretty nervous. Not so much with the people, just the occasion, I guess. But I’ve played over in India where it feels like there’s 160,000 people watching. This atmosphere was incredible and it was nice to get a win and contribute,” he was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo.
“The IPL, I only played two games but every game and every occasion… Definitely, just knowing what I’m able to get out of myself when the situation is like that and when the atmosphere is like that.
“I definitely had a lot more confidence coming into this game after playing in front of, I don’t know, 50,000 – which felt like 100,000 – at the Chinnaswamy.”
In the previous edition, Bethell only participated in two games for RCB, scoring 55 off 33 against Chennai Super Kings in the second game at M Chinnaswamy Stadium.
