"That's what I told Ash bhai" - Litton Das opens up on discussions with Ravichandran Ashwin during India's tour of Bangladesh
Bangladesh batter Litton Das has opened up on the conversation with Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin. The 28-year-old responded to Ashwin's expectations of Das reaching the level of the fab four batters, stating that things are quite different in Bangladesh compared to India.
Das pointed out that one of the significant reasons why he hasn't become a very prolific run-getter is that they don't play top teams often and rued not playing bilateral series in Australia even once.
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."
"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."
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He continued:
"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."
Litton Das, who recently led his side to an ODI series win against India, further claimed that he has been training differently to thrive in conditions outside Bangladesh. 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."
The right-handed batter has grown to become one of the most reliable and aggressive batters for Bangladesh across all formats. The Dinajpur-born player averages in the mid-30s in Test and ODI cricket and had a promising 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia, striking at 142.69.
"The focus was to improve my strike rate" - Litton Das on performance against India in World Cup
Recalling his quick-fire knock of 60 off 27 balls, Litton Das said he had to take the responsibility of scoring quickly to upstage the big teams. He stated:
"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."
We lost even after coming very close to victory. There will be no shortage of effort in the next match as well. 🇧🇩
#INDvsBAN #T20WorldCup https://t.co/CapCZaA5Qa
Despite his explosive knock while chasing 185, Bangladesh fell short by five runs as the rain-induced break acted as a game-changer.