2nd T20I: ‘Want to do well against world’s best teams,’ says Bethell after match-winning knock against India

Manchester, July 4 (IANS) England all-rounder Jacob Bethell said testing himself against the strongest sides in world cricket is what drives him after his unbeaten 76 powered England to a four-wicket victory over India in the T20I.

Speaking after being named Player of the Match, Bethell reflected on his previous success against India, England’s calculated approach to the chase, the turning point provided by Ravi Bishnoi’s expensive over, and the partnerships that helped overhaul a target of 191.

Having also impressed against India during the 2026 T20 World Cup, Bethell said delivering against quality opposition makes performances all the more rewarding, while acknowledging the challenge posed by India’s attack.

“I really enjoyed that semi-final (2026 T20 WC), although we couldn’t get over the line. They’re a high-skilled attack, it’s just that I’ve played them on two pretty nice pitches. And, yeah, you want to do well against the best teams in the world. So, yeah, it’s really pleasing to do so,” Bethell said during the post-match presentation.

Bethell arrived at the crease with England reeling at 1/2 after both openers fell in the first over. However, Harry Brook’s counterattacking cameo restored the momentum before Bethell and Tom Banton stitched together a crucial partnership that steadied the chase. Looking back, Bethell said the innings was built around partnerships and waiting for the right moments to accelerate rather than attacking throughout.

“It worked out well in the end, but just going into bat two down, Brooky (Harry Brook), set the tone really well there. He flipped the momentum straight back on them. And, that made it easier for me to go out there and just give him strike to start and then it’s a shame when he got out. But I thought Banton came in and that partnership we built, both of us would have liked to go on and finish that. But everyone just keep chipping in. And then, yeah, in those kind of chases, you’re not going rapid the whole time, but a couple of big overs and then the game swings. So, yeah, it was one of them that just kind of got timed really well,” he added.

The biggest swing arrived in the 17th over when England collected 29 runs off Ravi Bishnoi, aided by two free hits after the leg-spinner overstepped twice. Bethell admitted that targeting that particular end of the ground had not originally been part of his thinking, but the circumstances demanded a change in approach.

“If I’m honest, I probably would have targeted the other end more with my leg side, with the wind, but, and the shorter side. But, yeah, when, (there are) a couple of free hits and then bowler’s down, so then you try and take him. So, yeah, that all worked out really well. And then, yeah, Jof (Jofra Archer) came in and finished it off,” he stated.

While one boundary was significantly shorter than the other, Bethell said England’s batters avoided becoming fixated on clearing the shorter side and instead focused on exploiting whichever areas the field allowed.

“Yeah, I think so. I mean, the thing with playing on different dimensions is one side might be easier to hit sixes, but you can also score the same amount of runs, hit in the gaps that are bigger on that big side. So, yeah, it was just about being smart with that. And I thought as a batting group, we were really good at that on the whole,” Bethell concluded.

–IANS

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