‘I’ve never heard a sound so loud’: When Jacob Bethell was overwhelmed by Chinnaswamy’s roar for Virat Kohli | Cricket news

Virat Kohli and Jacob Bethell of Royal Challengers Bengaluru (ANI Photo)

English youth Jacob Bethell he opened up about the unforgettable experience of opening the bat Virat Kohli at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium during his stint with Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), describing the atmosphere as unlike anything he had experienced before.Bethell, who joined RCB after being signed in the 2025 IPL mega auction, shared the dressing room with Kohli during the franchise’s back-to-back title-winning campaigns in 2025 and 2026. Although the young all-rounder had a mixed season with the bat, he said the opportunity to walk out alongside one of the game’s modern greats remains a career highlight.

‘I remember being nervous’

Speaking on YouTube’s Super Over podcast, Bethell admitted he was beside himself with nerves ahead of his first appearance at home in Bengaluru.“That was crazy. I remember being really nervous before. It was just my first game in front of the home fans. I was nervous to say the least. But as soon as I got on the floor, I just felt the excitement. I’ve been running drinks for a lot of competitions. Seeing the atmosphere and wanting to get a part of it,” Jacob Bethell said. “We were coming out to bat. I can only hear myself thinking … the place is bouncing, there’s no gap in it. You feel like they’re on you. Luckily we managed to get a few runs; I scored a few, he scored a few. I remember I hit my second ball for four and I’ve never heard such a loud sound,” he added.

‘Virat is very chilled off the field’

Bethell also shed light on Kohli’s personality away from the limelight, saying the former RCB captain is far more relaxed than his fiery on-field persona suggests.“Away from cricket and off the field, he’s actually a very relaxed person. Great to talk to, great to spend time with. But it’s just that ability to then transfer that competitive nature in and around cricket or training,” revealed Bethell Bethell’s IPL 2026 campaign yielded 163 runs in nine matches at a strike rate of 140.52, but the England all-rounder previously credited Kohli, Rajat Patidar and Dinesh Karthik in a video released by RCB on their official portal for helping improve his game, particularly against spin, during his time with the Bengaluru franchise.