"Half of the time I end up walking out to bat confused" - England star's funny revelation amid ENG vs IND 2025 Tests

England star Jocob Bethell made an interesting revelation about what his fellow batters do while waiting for their turn to bat. Bethell made the comments amid the ongoing Test series against India, with the final game scheduled to begin on Thursday, July 31, at The Oval.

In an interview with Sky Sports Cricket, Bethell was asked what batters do while they wait for their turn to walk out. The England batter revealed that a lot of them did crosswords, which he didn't understand. He jokingly added that he was often left confused because of the game when walking out to bat.

Bethell said that batters just tried to chill out and conserve energy.

"A lot of the lads do cross words. I am so bad at them. I am trying to get better. But they try to do these cryptic crosswords that I just have no clue. So half of the time I just end up walking out to bat confused because I am thinking about the crossword. No. I'm joking. You just try and chill out. Especially in the longer format its about being ready to walk out there with full energy. So yeah just try and chill as much as possible. Few cups of coffee, that's about it, really," he said (4:22).

Bethell was then asked about whether he had any superstitions. To this, he replied:.

"Not really. I put my right pad on before my left. And my right glove on before my left. But that's just habit, I think. I think if I put my left pad on before my right, there's no less chance of me scoring runs. It'll be the same. I've got one pair of budgy smugglers that I wear to bat. I've worn them for probably the last three years." (5:22)

Notably, Bethell is set to play the fifth Test for England, which will be his first game of the series. He has played three Tests so far, scoring 260 runs at an average of 52 with three half-centuries.

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England batter Jacob Bethell on getting under the skin of the opposition

Jacob Bethell was also asked about whether coaches and captains give specific instructions to get under the opposition's skin. He revealed that it did not happen often, but also wasn't discouraged as such.

There has been a lot of on-field banter between India and England players in the ongoing series. Things have heated up as well, with both sides going at each other.

"I don't think it happens very often. It's never discouraged. If there's a way of getting under the opposition's skin in some sort of fashion then it is always encouraged. There some people better at it than others. Some like to stay a bit quieter and just let their skills do the talking. Its not encouraged or said by captains, maybe captains more so than coaches, but I think it is great thing to do and part of the game," he said. (6:19)

He also talked about how he liked to keep himself in the zone, saying:

"I do quite a bit of reading. I read anything really. Sometimes I'm in a mood to learn something and read that but for the past couple of years I've been trying to work my way through the Harry Potters, which has been great. Watched the films a couple of times as well now. So yeah I am fully immersed in Harry Potter world." (6:50)

Bethell last played a Test in 2024 against New Zealand at Hamilton. He has a decent first-class record, having scored 1030 runs from 24 games with eight half-centuries. With England 2-1 ahead in the series and aiming for a win, it comes as a huge opportunity for the youngster to make a mark.