The primary talking point of the Bangladesh Cricket Board’s (BCB) announcement of the team for the forthcoming Champions Trophy was the absence of batsman Litton Das. Although Litton Das‘ exclusion was less shocking given his recent poor play, Bangladesh’s selection practices frequently allow for discussion on inclusions and exclusions. The selectors this time prioritised youthful assertiveness and confidence above experience.
Litton Das has acknowledged that his poor performance led to his exclusion from the ODI squad for the 2025 Champions Trophy. Following the announcement of Bangladesh’s team on Sunday morning, Litton crushed an undefeated 125 off 55 balls for Dhaka Capital against Durbar Rajshahi in the BPL.
Since his previous fifty in ODIs occurred during the 2023 World Cup in India, Litton had been having trouble in white-ball formats. To make matters worse, he had only scored six runs in his last five ODIs, including three ducks. Everyone, even Litton Das, was not completely surprised by his dismissal in this situation, and the wicket-keeper batsman had a different response when asked to address his “critics.”
Champions Trophy Selection Was Out Of My Control – Litton Das
Litton Das after scoring his 100 said that the Champions Trophy selection was not in his control. He said :
“The Champions Trophy selection wasn’t in my control,” Litton Das said after his performance. “The selectors took the call. They decide whom to play. My job is to perform. I haven’t been able to do that. I think I was a bit upset about it. I have the same mindset before and after the game today. The day has already passed. I have played a good knock but it’s in the past. I start from zero again. I will keep working hard, let’s see what happens next,”
“I was given a clear message. Maybe not from the selectors but it is easy to find out why I wasn’t picked in the team. I was dropped because I wasn’t performing. There’s nothing to hide about it. Basic, normal,”
Litton Das’s last 50-plus score was in October 2023, and he hasn’t scored more than ten runs in his last seven ODI innings.
“Fans will support me but then when I don’t do well, people will be negative. That’s not really my concern,” he said. “I am focused on what I need to do. I haven’t been playing well, so I need to improve my game. I won’t change overnight, so I have to keep trying. People will love it when I score runs.
“I am not out there to prove to anyone. I only look for improvement. I don’t think I was playing well for the last few months. I will try to become more consistent from this point, especially after this innings.”
Gets A 100 After Poor Start To The BPL
After scoring 31, 0, 2, and 9 in the opening games of the BPL season, Litton went on to score 73 and 125 not out in back-to-back games. Dhaka Capital ended a string of six straight losses with the support of the hundred.
His opening partnership with Tanzid Hasan, which lasted 241 runs and was the second-highest partnership in men’s T20 cricket, featured 10 fours and nine sixes in his undefeated 125. Litton attributed his breakthrough to Shahin, a Dhaka support staff member who has been throwing down on him for years.
“Shahin has been working in the [Dhaka Capital]) team. He has worked with Comilla Victorians for the last three years … He helps me in training all the time, and passes on information from time to time. He is capable of pointing out a batter’s mistake. That’s why I thanked him. But listen, please don’t make a news that he has now become a coach.”
Litton Das believes Dhaka’s 149-run win against Rajshahi will help them perform better in the second half of the BPL season.
“We have a good team but we haven’t been able to click so far. I think today was the first time we performed as a unit, both with bat and ball. We still have five matches left. Two teams are at the top, while the rest are around the same points. I think our run rate will improve after this game. We got our rhythm going. I don’t know if we can win the next games, but we feel more confident,”