{"id":195811,"date":"2026-07-23T00:49:35","date_gmt":"2026-07-23T06:19:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/?p=195811"},"modified":"2026-07-23T00:49:35","modified_gmt":"2026-07-23T06:19:35","slug":"dinesh-karthik-fires-back-at-alastair-cook-in-jacob-bethell-ipl-row-how-do-you-dishonour-that-contract","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/?p=195811","title":{"rendered":"Dinesh Karthik fires back at Alastair Cook in Jacob Bethell IPL row: &#8216;How do you dishonour that contract?&#8217;"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"content-body-71256717\">The club-versus-country debate has flared up once again, this time over England\u2019s rising star Jacob Bethell and his stint with Royal Challengers Bengaluru during IPL 2026.<\/p>\n<p>Former England captain Alastair Cook questioned whether Bethell would have been better served playing county cricket instead of spending much of the IPL on the sidelines, arguing that regular red-ball cricket would have been ideal preparation for England\u2019s three-Test home series against New Zealand in June.<\/p>\n<p>Despite remaining with RCB until the end of its title-winning campaign, Bethell returned home in time to feature in all three Tests against New Zealand.<\/p>\n<p>The left-hander played seven of RCB\u2019s 16 matches during its successful title defence, scoring 96 runs at a strike rate of 124.67.<\/p>\n<p>Cook\u2019s remarks sparked a wider debate, with former England captain Kevin Pietersen taking the opposite view. Pietersen argued that even as a fringe player, Bethell would have benefited from training alongside some of the world\u2019s best cricketers in the IPL.<\/p>\n<p>Now, former India wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Karthik, who serves as RCB\u2019s mentor, has also weighed in, firmly backing Bethell\u2019s decision to honour his IPL contract.<\/p>\n<p>Speaking on        <i>The Overlap Cricket<\/i> podcast, Karthik questioned the precedent it would set if players chose to abandon their IPL franchises simply because they were not guaranteed a place in the playing XI.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou say he was just sitting there, warming the bench. Now, he has a contract with RCB, which he chose to be part of. How do you dishonour that contract because you\u2019re warming the bench?\u201d Karthik said.<\/p>\n<p>Karthik argued that players know the competition for places before signing up for the tournament.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo if every player decides to do that, \u2018If you drop me, I am going back home\u2019&#8230; I think you take that decision before you put your name in the auction. You know Phil Salt is there. You might not play. If you still choose to come, then once you\u2019re here, you can\u2019t suddenly say, \u2018I\u2019m not playing, I want to go home.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Cook, however, stood by his original position, insisting that representing England should always take priority. \u201cWhat I\u2019m saying is, I think this is where it\u2019s really important. I think it\u2019s really important that English cricket (for me) is more important than the IPL or any franchise,\u201d Cook said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"publish-time\" id=\"end-of-article\">Published on Jul 23, 2026<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/sportstar.thehindu.com\/cricket\/dinesh-karthik-alastair-cook-jacob-bethell-ipl-debate\/article71256717.ece\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The club-versus-country debate has flared up once again, this time over England\u2019s rising star Jacob Bethell and his stint with Royal Challengers Bengaluru during IPL 2026. Former England captain Alastair Cook questioned whether Bethell would have been better served playing county cricket instead of spending much of the IPL on the sidelines, arguing that regular&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":195812,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-195811","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/TH17-INSTA-BETHG43G07V8K.3.jpg.jpg","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":195214,"url":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/?p=195214","url_meta":{"origin":195811,"position":0},"title":"The Hundred 2026 \u2014 Jacob Bethell ruled out with knee injury","author":"Ajay Kumar Verma","date":"July 21, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"England all-rounder Jacob Bethell has been ruled out of the upcoming edition of The Hundred with a knee injury. Bethell \u2014 who was set to captain the Birmingham Phoenix franchise \u2014 is thus in doubt for England\u2019s upcoming Test series against Pakistan in August as well. \u201cThe 22-year-old will continue\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Sports&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Sports","link":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/?cat=9"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/AP07_19_2026_000367B.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/AP07_19_2026_000367B.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/AP07_19_2026_000367B.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/AP07_19_2026_000367B.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/AP07_19_2026_000367B.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":193473,"url":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/?p=193473","url_meta":{"origin":195811,"position":1},"title":"Brydon Carse returns to England squad for India ODI series","author":"Ajay Kumar Verma","date":"July 14, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Pacer Brydon Carse was added to England\u2019s ODI squad on Tuesday, ending a spell on the sidelines due to an injury sustained during the 2026 season of the Indian Premier League. \u201cCarse returns following his recovery from wrist and elbow injuries and after three matches with Durham in the Vitality\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Sports&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Sports","link":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/?cat=9"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/2026-07-14T091733Z_1365940429_UP1EM7E0PT71J_RTRMADP_3_CRICKET-ODI-ENG-IND.JPG?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/2026-07-14T091733Z_1365940429_UP1EM7E0PT71J_RTRMADP_3_CRICKET-ODI-ENG-IND.JPG?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/2026-07-14T091733Z_1365940429_UP1EM7E0PT71J_RTRMADP_3_CRICKET-ODI-ENG-IND.JPG?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/2026-07-14T091733Z_1365940429_UP1EM7E0PT71J_RTRMADP_3_CRICKET-ODI-ENG-IND.JPG?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/2026-07-14T091733Z_1365940429_UP1EM7E0PT71J_RTRMADP_3_CRICKET-ODI-ENG-IND.JPG?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":194497,"url":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/?p=194497","url_meta":{"origin":195811,"position":2},"title":"Bethell hails \u2018incredible\u2019 Sobers for turning point in England career","author":"Ajay Kumar Verma","date":"July 18, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"England all-rounder Jacob Bethell thanked the \u201cincredible\u201d Garry Sobers for the key role he played in forging his career following the death of the West Indies legend. Sobers, widely regarded as cricket\u2019s most outstanding all-rounder, died aged 89 on Friday, sparking a flood of tributes from all over the cricket\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Sports&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Sports","link":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/?cat=9"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-2286045029.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-2286045029.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-2286045029.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-2286045029.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-2286045029.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":193270,"url":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/?p=193270","url_meta":{"origin":195811,"position":3},"title":"ENG vs IND 1st ODI, Live Score: Rohit, Kohli, and Bumrah to return India looks to bounce back against England; full team news, toss updates at 3:00PM IST","author":"Ajay Kumar Verma","date":"July 14, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"As is custom, England has announced its playing XI a day ahead of the match. 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At this rate, a 300 plus score awaits them, which won't be easy to chase on this bowling-friendly\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;National News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"National News","link":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/?cat=7"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/ANI-20260719187-0_1784461008882_1784461033966_b51236a8-def7-4660-bb65-3c65027c9f0b.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/ANI-20260719187-0_1784461008882_1784461033966_b51236a8-def7-4660-bb65-3c65027c9f0b.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/ANI-20260719187-0_1784461008882_1784461033966_b51236a8-def7-4660-bb65-3c65027c9f0b.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pgnRh4-OWf","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/195811","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=195811"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/195811\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/195812"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=195811"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=195811"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=195811"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}