Hyderabad: England's rising sensation Jacob Bethell has broken former skipper Joe Root's record for the youngest player to score a fifty in India. He achieved the remarkable feat during the clash between India and England at the Vidarbha Cricket Association stadium here on Thursday, February 6.
At 21 years and 106 days, Bethell amassed his second ODI fifty, first in India, smashing 51 runs off 64 balls at a strike rate of 79.68 with the help of three fours and a six. His innings played a crucial part in taking England to a below-par target of 248 runs.
His 7th international fifty 🏏
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) February 6, 2025
Batted, Jacob! 👏
Match Centre: https://t.co/mjJ55wZD0F
🇮🇳 #INDvENG 🏴 | #EnglandCricket pic.twitter.com/aGgFAHd8ET
He walked in when the visitors were reeling at 111/4 and forged a much-needed 59-run partnership with skipper captain Jos Buttler and somewhat stabilised England's innings. However, he couldn't convert his fifty into a big score and fell to Ravindra Jadeja, who achieved two major records -- 1. Leading wicket-taker in ODIs between England and India 2. Fifth Indian to complete 600 international wickets.
Joe Root recorded his first fifty in 2013 when he scored a half-century against India in Mohali at the age of 22 years and 24 days.
Notably, Bethell is also the youngest England player to score a fifty in T20I cricket. He attained the feat by scoring an unbeaten 58 off 36 balls against the West Indies in Bridgetown last year.
Apart from batting prowess, he is a very handy spinner. His all-round prowess and talent also caught the eye of the Indian Premier League (IPL) as Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) bought him for ₹2.60 crore at the 2025 mega auction.
