When Royal Challengers Bengaluru had signed up Jacob Bethell ahead of IPL 2025, the franchise’s spin bowling coach Malolan Rangarajan had made the bold claim, even before he had made his debut, that the young left-hander was “destined for greatness”. “I think England have a genuine superstar in the making and selfishly, as RCB, we’re very happy to have bought him slightly earlier in the cycle,” Rangarajan had said. On Sunday afternoon at a sun-baked Wankhede Stadium, Bethell offered a glimpse of why those words were spoken with such conviction. England may have stumbled early in their T20 World Cup opener against Nepal, but the 22-year-old used the early wobble as a stage to underline his growing maturity and range. Also Read | Three Nepal fans chase a T20 World Cup dream: 30-plus hours on a train, four matches of hope The innings began shakily when Phil Salt fell inside the powerplay, and the pressure was immediate. Bethell responded in the only way he knew – by taking the game on. Facing off-spinner Sher Malla, he burst out of the blocks, striking two crisp fours and launching a six in his first four balls. The intent was unmistakable. Yet what followed was just as telling. The early fireworks gave way to a more nuanced display as wickets continued to fall at the other end. Jos Buttler and Tom Banton were dismissed in quick succession, leaving England precariously placed at 57/3 in the seventh over. The momentum had stalled, and Nepal sensed an opening. Bethell, though, showed he was ready to recalibrate. With Nepal rotating pace and spin cleverly, he resisted the temptation to force the issue. Alongside captain Harry Brook, the left-hander focused on strike rotation, nudging singles, placing the ball into gaps and allowing the innings to breathe again. It was a phase that demanded restraint, and he embraced it fully. By the halfway mark, England had reached 84/3 – not dominant, but stable. The calm was briefly punctured in the 11th over when Bethell cut Sher Malla behind point for four, a release shot that hinted at what was coming. An over later, he shifted gears decisively, taking on Kushal Bhurtel with two towering sixes. The second sailed into the second tier of the stands and brought up Bethell’s half-century off just 28 balls.Story continues below this ad “Batting first was very hard,” Bethell said during the innings break. “Everyone who walked in early found it difficult. It was tougher against the spinners, especially in the middle overs when we tried to be more attacking.” When Bethell had toured India for a white-ball series against India in early 2025, his struggles against spin were apparent. The IPL gave him an opportunity to work on that aspect of his game and RCB head coach Andy Flower and batting coach Dinesh Karthik proved to be of big help. “He’s working really hard on his game against spin, which for most English players is an important work-on. He’s opening up different scoring areas now,” RCB Director of Cricket Mo Bobat had said. That progress was evident at the Wankhede. Bethell was no longer just muscling the ball; he was manipulating fields, waiting for the right match-ups and trusting his defence when needed. Even when the scoring rate dipped into a sequence of ones and twos, there was no panic.Story continues below this ad His innings eventually ended when he tried to clear the long-on boundary and holed out, dismissed for 55 off 35 balls. But by then, the damage had been done. Bethell had walked in with England struggling at 5/1 in the second over and departed with the score reading 128/4 in the 14th over, taking his side to a position of relative control. In that intervening period, Bethell did more than steady an innings. He showcased a version of himself that England, and RCB, have been waiting to see – a batter capable of adjusting gears, absorbing pressure and still dictating terms. For someone so early in his career, that blend of power and poise is rare. And on a hot afternoon in Mumbai, Bethell once again hinted that the talk of greatness may not be premature after all.
T20 World Cup | England’s Jacob Bethell, ‘destined for greatness’, shows glimpses of his breathtaking talent against Nepal
