Liton ‘unmoved’ by Test captaincy
Liton Das is usually addressed by his name by reporters. However, in a press conference at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium on Monday, he was addressed as ‘captain’ multiple times. Because this time he came in front of the press not as a national team player but as the captain of the Test team.
This was a new experience for Liton. In Test captain Shakib Al Hasan’s absence, who is down with an injury, Liton will lead Bangladesh in the one-off Test against Afghanistan set to begin in Dhaka on 14 June.
This was his first appearance in front of the press after being announced the Test team captain, albeit temporarily.
The press conference started in a predictable manner, with Liton being asked how he was feeling after getting the new responsibility, if he is excited to lead the team in Tests.
In response, Liton first claimed that he wasn’t feeling anything ‘special’ but later added, “It’s natural to feel a little good. Just becoming a Test cricketer is a huge deal for a player, getting to captain the team on top of that is an even greater matter.”
Liton may not be feeling anything special at the moment but once he puts on the Bangladesh blazer and joins Afghan captain Hasmatullah Shahidi to the middle for the toss, the emotions will perhaps come rushing to him.
Liton himself predicted that something like that could very well happen, “Let’s see, maybe I’ll feel how special it is when I go for the toss…”
Liton debuted in Tests in 2015 in the Fatullah Test against India. When asked what his journey has been like since then, the new captain took a few seconds to think before answering, “It wasn’t an easy journey. There were many ups and downs. You are bound to fail sometimes and you can only learn from your mistakes. It’s a huge honour to lead the team in Tests. But my personal goals are much bigger than this.”
Liton has been a part of the leadership group in the Test team for a while. Liton has been Shakib’s deputy in Tests. So, it’s quite natural for Liton to lead the Test team in Shakib’s absence. However, there were murmurs that Liton was hesitant about leading the team in the Afghanistan Test.
However, at the press conference Liton said, “As the vice-captain, I’ve had to captain the team for 2-3 overs when Shakib bhai wasn’t on the field. This is nothing new for me.”
Not having an all-rounder like Shakib in the side puts the Bangladesh team and its captain Liton at a disadvantage. However, from Liton’s answers it didn’t seem like he was thinking too much about Shakib’s absence, “When Shakib bhai plays, you get service in both batting and bowling departments. But his absence hurts us more in ODIs and T20s than in Tests. In Tests, we have plenty of bowling options.”
The healthy competition amongst the bowlers is encouraging Liton to think aggressively as he is planning to go with five bowlers in the Dhaka Test, “It all depends on the wicket. If it’s a good wicket, I’m in favour of going with five bowlers.”
He also hinted that if he indeed goes with five bowlers, most of them are likely to be pacers, “There is of course a good chance that we will go with more than two pacers.”
Liton said that after observing a greenish pitch at the Sher-e-Bangla. However, playing on a grassy pitch will also be a challenge for the Bangladesh team, admitted the captain, “We want to play on a green wicket against a side like Afghanistan. Because we have pacers at our disposal.”
Liton also said, “At Mirpur, we usually get turning wickets. Our challenge will be how we can play well on a grassy wicket.”