Christchurch, New Zealand

Jacob Bethell is the newest star on the cricketing scene. The rookie left-hander scored his maiden Test fifty during the Christchurch Test against New Zealand, hitting an unbeaten 50 in the second innings. What made it special was the build-up to it and doing it at number three, a position he never batted at in first-class cricket.

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Bethell helped England complete the quickest 100-run-plus chase in Test history, with England’s highest run-scorer and batting great, Joe Root, accompanying him on the other end.

Talking about hitting the winning run, which also saw him complete his first Test fifty, the 21-year-old said he enjoyed his time in the middle.

“[It was] a hell of a lot of fun yeah," Bethell said. “And to walk off with Rooty [who made 23 off 15] at the end there was pretty special. To come out in the second innings and have a chance to walk off with an England win was at the forefront of my mind, and luckily I was able to do that.”

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Meanwhile, days after the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) bagged his services for $306.881 (INR 2.6 crore) at the IPL 2025 mega auction, Bethell showed his mettle during his maiden outing in Tests. Averaging just 25.44 in 30 first-class innings before his Test debut, all coming at number five or lower, Bethell admitted he wasn’t worried about scoring runs and that, against better opponents, he gets better.

"Pretty much every time I've played against better people, I've played better," he said. "Step up to the Hundred, played better. Straight into internationals, played better. I didn't really have a doubt in my mind that coming into Test cricket that I'd have done well."

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Who bats at number three for England?

With Jordan Cox injured and out of the first Test, the visitors made several changes to the playing XI. They dropped Ollie Pope to number six, who, after his gritty 77 in the first innings, admitted enjoying batting at the top and instead made Bethell bat at number three, a position he wishes to continue batting at.

"I like batting up the order so, yeah, I was really happy that opportunity arose," he said. "I've always wanted to bat in the top four, so three is perfect.

"I think my game is fit to play any style. On Sunday, we saw a bit more of an attacking style. I can also absorb a bit of pressure, so I'm sure at times in my career, there will be times to do that as well,” Bethell continued. 

Playing Tests is a dream come true for Bethell

The left-handed batter has a bright future across formats, and upon getting his Test cap, Jacob admits to realising his dream. 

"It's everything I've dreamed of, to be honest. Since I was a little kid, I've always dreamed of playing Test cricket; I remember watching the Ashes and just any England Tests on TV and wanting to be a part of it.

"And then since Baz [Brendon McCullum] took over with Stokesy, I've always watched it on TV and gone 'how fun that does that look' and it lived up to expectation. It was so fun,” Bethell continued. 

(With inputs from agencies)