England all-rounder Jacob Bethell has offered perceptive analysis on Virat Kohli’s character in the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) dressing room. The Bengaluru-based team’s consecutive Indian Premier League wins in 2025 and 2026 were largely due to the two.
Bethell hasn’t played much for RCB in his two seasons in India, but every time he was called up to bat, he and Kohli opened the innings.
The left-handed batter appreciated the Indian superstar’s approachability off the pitch. But he also praised Kohli for shifting to his competitive side so quickly.
The England international talked on Kohli’s leadership inside the team even if he is no longer the captain: “Away from cricket and off the pitch, he’s actually a very chilled individual.” You know, a pleasure to converse with and spend time with. However, it’s simply the capacity to switch into a competitive mindset during training or cricket.
His way of life is highly… Everything is… Every arrow is pointing in the direction of great performance, isn’t that right? He thereby offers himself the finest opportunity. He is, nonetheless, a fiercely competitive individual. He’s a huge leader on the team, even though he wasn’t captain when I was there,” Jacob Bethell stated on The Super Over podcast, as reported by Cricket News.
Due to injury, Bethell made seven appearances as Phil Salt’s replacement during RCB’s championship-winning 2026 campaign. Despite showing promise, the left-hander only scored 96 runs with a strike-rate of 124.67 over the season, averaging less than 14.
Conversely, Kohli again awarded RCB’s batting star of the tournament. He scored 675 runs at a strike-rate of 165.84 in a number of crucial innings, including the final. The right-handed hitter helped his team win the championship with an undefeated 75 in the crucial game against the Gujarat Titans.
