New Delhi [India], April 23 (ANI): Former England cricketer Kevin Pietersen has lashed out at Alastair Cook for suggesting Royal Challengers Bengaluru's (RCB) Jacob Bethell to leave the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) and return to county cricket.

Bethell has yet to feature in the playing XI for Royal Challengers Bengaluru during IPL 2026, with the franchise preferring overseas options like Josh Hazlewood, Phil Salt, Romario Shepherd, and Tim David.

While Cook remains concerned about Bethell's lack of game time, he believes the youngster could still be a viable opening option for England.

'For that top order batting, the way he played at Sydney, against that attack, in those conditions - I've looked at a player there, and I'm certain this bloke can open. If he can bat three, he can open,' Cook said on the Stick to Cricket podcast.

'(But) it's not ideal, is it? Bethell shouldn't really be it, because he's not opening. He's sitting on his a*** at the IPL, not doing anything. Ideally, he could come back and open for Warwickshire to help England,' he said.

Pietersen dismissed Cook's suggestion on Bethell, arguing that Cook doesn't understand the value of being part of the IPL. Pietersen urged Bethell to remain in India, emphasising that training and learning alongside top players will benefit his development, even if he isn't getting match time.

'Alastair Cook has absolutely NO IDEA what it's like to be in the IPL. What's it like to always be around the best players in the world? So his opinion on Jacob Bethell doesn't matter at all. Stay in India, Jacob. I know, even though you're not playing, you're learning and will be a way better player,' Pietersen wrote in an X post.

https://x.com/KP24/status/2047189262479585496?s=20

Bethell also reacted to the suggestion given by Cook and felt that being part of the Indian Premier League puts him under constant scrutiny, from coaches, teammates, and fans, but also exposes him to a high-performance environment.

While he acknowledged he may get more batting time in county cricket, he believes there's no single 'right' path and is confident that staying in the IPL is the best step for his development right now.

'You've got hundreds of eyes on you, albeit you either have your coaches or the other players who are also looking at you, going, 'Is this guy good? Is he not?' You got the people in the crowd with the phones on. I think you get exposed to a lot of stuff. You might not get the amount of time in the middle as you do in the County Championship, playing four rounds of that. In short, I think there's no right way. I firmly believe that this is the thing for me to be doing right now,' Bethell said on the Sky Sports Cricket Podcast.

Bethell was bought for Rs 2.6 crore in the IPL 2025 auction, but has played only two matches for RCB in one-and-a-half seasons. (ANI)