NEW DELHI: The cricketing fixture between Rugby School and Marlborough College, two of Britain’s most historic independent schools, is a cherished tradition in the English sporting calendar. Dating back to the mid-1800s with the only recent interruption being the COVID-19 pandemic, which disrupted life as we knew it, this storied rivalry holds a special place in the hearts of cricket buffs across Wiltshire and Warwickshire.
In 2021, during one such historic encounter, English cricket was on the brink of discovering what Indian spinner R Ashwin has recently described as a potential “generational talent”. The player in question? None other than Royal Challengers Bengaluru‘s newest Rs 2.6 crore recruit, Jacob Bethell.
Representing the shades of Rugby School, where he honed his cricketing skills after moving to the UK, Jacob Bethell chose the first innings of the annual two-day fixture to demonstrate his overall mettle. With a stunning knock of 202, he caught the attention of many, including Michael Powell, Rugby School’s Director of Cricket and a former Warwickshire captain.
“We had scored over 400 before tea on the first day, with Jacob contributing 200 of those runs. He was playing at a different level from everyone else that day. Then, he went on to take nine or ten wickets in the match as well. The way he went about his business was remarkable,” recalled Michael during an exclusive interaction with TimesofIndia.com.
Michael Powell, however, finds it hard to decide what is more remarkable — the dazzling innings from that fixture or the meteoric rise of young Jacob Bethell, now 21.
Jacob Bethell: A ‘generational talent’ in the making?
Over the past few months, Bethell has achieved what few can claim: making his ODI, T20I, and Test debuts within the span of just three months. Even more striking, he became the first English batter since Mike Gatting in 1978 to earn a Test cap without a first-class century to his name, showcasing the high regard in which England Cricket holds him.
Coach Michael is a firm believes that his protégé Jacob is destined for greatness. Hailing from a family deeply rooted in cricket — his father and grandfather both being former professional cricketers — Jacob has justified his decision to leave the Caribbean and test his legacy with the willow in the UK.
“I took a call from a good friend of ours who was on a cricket tour in Barbados – a cricket tour that I had set up at my previous school in Scotland but had subsequently left. This friend, whose sons were in my boarding house because I was a housemaster there, said that there was a young boy, about 11 years old, who was smashing all their 17-and 18-year-old bowlers around Barbados at the moment. He used to work with the boy’s father, Graham Bethell, and that was my first point of contact,” shared Michael.
“He put me in touch with Graham and Giselle Bethell, Jacob’s parents, and we started a dialogue. Eventually, they brought Jacob to Rugby School. I then took him over to Edgbaston, to Warwickshire, and introduced him to the academic director, Paul Greetham. That’s how it all began. They explored quite a few schools in the UK because Jacob had trained with the Franklyn Stephenson Academy before. Eventually, they decided on Warwickshire and Rugby School.”
Recalling his first meeting with Jacob around a decade ago, the former Warwickshire cricketer continued, “Jacob was only 11 years old when he first came to visit. He met me, and we had a great afternoon looking around the school. I had already seen a few videos that had been sent to me, including one that has since become quite famous on Instagram — showing him pulling shots as a very young 10-year-old batsman [batter] in the West Indies.”
Caribbean roots, cricketing dreams
Barbados-born-and-raised, Jacob is known for being deeply family-oriented. The 21-year-old manages to carve out time for his father Graham, mother Giselle, and sister Rebecca, who followed her brother’s footsteps and joined Cheltenham College a year later, marking a shared commitment to education and opportunity in the UK.
The siblings spent around 32 weeks annually in the UK, dedicating the rest of the year to cherished family moments back home in Barbados.
The cricketing blood in Jacob’s veins runs deep, with his father Graham spending many years playing for Sheffield Collegiate in England, where he was teammates with Joe Root’s father, Matthew Root. Meanwhile, his grandfather, Arthur, was the former captain of the Barbados cricket team in the West Indies.
“When he was growing up as a youngster, he probably had a bat in his hand by the age of three. Just the way he operated as a young player at the time — in all aspects, batting, bowling, and fielding — was remarkable. He had a really natural bat swing, as if the bat had been in his hands since his earliest days.
“Growing up in Barbados, cricket was in the family and in his genes. He lived an outdoor life in Barbados, blessed with good weather. At home, he had a lovely little setup with a rope and a ball at the end of it, and he would spend hours swinging and hitting the ball. His bat swing was incredibly natural,” noted Michael.
The evolution of Jacob Bethell: From classy Test batter to explosive white-ball cricketer
Understood to be a natural athlete, Jacob grew up immersed in a variety of sports — surfing on the beaches of Barbados, playing cricket in the sand, and enjoying golf, tennis, and squash. His innate sporting talent has likely been a key factor in his seamless transition from a graceful stroke-maker in Test cricket to a dynamic power-hitter in white-ball formats.
“His early setup and approach to batting were very much Test-match-oriented. As a young player, he was very respectful in how he played and left the ball, yet positive in how he looked to score. However, when he was younger, he didn’t have the power he has now. That’s something he’s gained over the last four or five years,” explained his childhood tutor.
From a young age, Jacob was incredibly stylish, particularly excelling against short-pitched bowling, having grown up facing tall West Indian bowlers who frequently bowled bouncers, which helped him develop his ability to handle the short ball.
“I remember the first time I saw him bat — a tall West Indian lad ran in, bowled a bouncer, and Jacob pulled it away. Not many 9-or 10-year-olds could do that. He had a real fluency and fluidity in his bat swing, with great energy and rhythm in how he picked up and swung the bat. He handled taller, faster young West Indian bowlers remarkably well,” Michael said.
“His game has since developed to adapt to the modern game, particularly the white-ball format. Now, as we’ve seen more recently, he can hit the ball out of the park. When I first met him, he struggled to hit the ball off the square or in front of the wicket. He was fantastic with the pull shot and a great sweeper of spin bowling but lacked the physical power to pierce gaps in front of the wicket,” he added, “Of course, that power develops with time as a young player grows, and now he’s a strong, athletic young man. He has the ability to hit 100-metre sixes just as easily as he can play the softer game: rotating and manipulating the ball with finesse.”
What can RCB expect from young Bethell?
With RCB stacking up their top-order with right-handers, Jacob Bethell, as a left-hander, could be the perfect solution. With Virat Kohli and Phil Salt likely to open the innings, Bethell could slot in at No. 3, with Rajat Patidar following at No. 4, creating a balanced lineup. This versatility, along with his handy slow left-arm orthodox bowling and wicket-keeping skills, has many RCB fans predicting that the English talent will be a regular fixture in the playing XI.
“To me, he always looked like a top-order batsman. He thinks like a top-order batsman. The nature of T20 cricket, The Hundred, and white-ball cricket, in general, has pushed him to develop his skills further. Fundamentally, his technique is built for Test cricket, but he’s also developed into a very potent white-ball cricketer. You could class him as an all-rounder or a top-order batsman who bowls very effectively, keeps wicket and fields brilliantly,” Michael told TimesofIndia.com
In terms of attitude, Michael thinks he is a natural leader. “As a youngster, Jacob was in England’s senior team very early on, and he’s always been a natural leader by example. He’s in a fantastic environment, surrounded by the likes of Joe Root, Ben Stokes, Brendon McCullum, and Marcus Trescothick, who have all performed at the highest level for extended periods. He has the benefit of learning from some of the best minds in the game,” he added.
“For him to be put into the IPL auction, to be chosen, and to have the opportunity to play cricket in that environment is incredible. The IPL is the biggest league in the world, and now he has the chance to be around players like Virat Kohli,” the man, who has seen Jacob blossom in front of his eyes, concluded.
“I know Jacob is made for this—he’s been working toward this his whole life. It’s an incredible opportunity for someone who has put in so much effort. I’m sure RCB fans will thoroughly enjoy watching him, as he’s looking forward to becoming part of the RCB family.”
