NEW DELHI: Young England batsman Jacob Bethell said his brief stint with Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the IPL helped him handle the pressure of making his Ashes debut at the MCG.

The 22-year-old left hander scored a composed 40 as England chased down 175 to seal a win in the fourth Ashes Test, ending an 18-match winless streak on Australian soil.

“I was pretty nervous. Not so much with the people, just the occasion, I guess. But I’ve played over in India where it feels like there’s 160,000 people watching. This atmosphere was incredible and it was nice to get a win and contribute,” he was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo.

“The IPL, I only played two games but every game and every occasion… Definitely, just knowing what I’m able to get out of myself when the situation is like that and when the atmosphere is like that.

“I definitely had a lot more confidence coming into this game after playing in front of, I don’t know, 50,000 – which felt like 100,000 – at the Chinnaswamy.”

Bethell featured in just two matches for RCB in the previous edition, with his standout effort being a 55 off 33 balls against Chennai Super Kings in the second game at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium.

(With PTI Inputs)