Bangladesh player Litton Das has revealed the conversation he had with veteran Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin. The talented batter replied to Ashwin’s expectations of reaching the level of the fab four batters, sharing that things are different in Bangladesh than in India. He also shared that one of the reasons why he hasn’t become a very prolific run-scorer is that they don’t play top teams quite often as well.
Speaking to Sportstar about the conversation, Litton Das said: “I had a conversation with Ash bhai in the swimming pool during the second Test in Mirpur. He told me that when he saw me for the first time in 2015, he thought that I could reach the levels of all those players you mentioned. But I told him that things were different back then. I was young and the more you play cricket at the highest level, the more you grow.”
He continued: “Secondly, we don’t play away series too often. Though we have played against New Zealand, we have not played a bilateral series in Australia, we don’t play too often in South Africa or in India or Pakistan. So, if you don’t play against top four-five teams on a regular basis, you won’t be able to grow as a cricketer.”
He again stated: “That’s what I told Ash bhai. The Indian team plays regular cricket against Australia, England, New Zealand, so the players benefit. Even during the IPL, the Indian players get an opportunity to play with these cricketers and when you play with top-level cricketers regularly, then you get to learn a lot.”
✊✊🇧🇩 pic.twitter.com/B5BhdhmsK7
— Litton Das (@LittonOfficial) December 7, 2022
“The T20 World Cup in Australia was a challenge for me” – Litton Das
However, Litton Das, who recently led Bangladesh to an ODI series win against India, further added that he has been training differently to do well in conditions outside Bangladesh as well. He said:
“If you have to enjoy success in Australia, South Africa, England, you have to train differently. The bounce that you get on the surfaces in Bangladesh is different from those countries, so I am trying to change the style of training. I thought that if I continue with the regular training regime then I will perhaps end up becoming a very good player in Bangladesh, but that won’t help me in achieving success across the globe. That’s why I have changed my training style a bit.”
However, Litton Das has become one of the most dependable and aggressive batters for Bangladesh across all formats. He averages in the mid-30s in Test and ODI cricket and had a good 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia while having a strike rate of 142.69 as well.
“When you play a good innings against a top team, it automatically boosts your confidence. The T20 World Cup in Australia was a challenge for me because I did not live up to the expectations in the previous edition in the UAE. So, the focus was to improve my strike rate and I felt that if we have to win games against big teams, then playing attacking cricket is the key. Someone had to step up and play that role and I took the onus and delivered against India,” Litton Das concluded.
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