Top Ad
I DIG Radio
www.idigradio.com
Listen live to the best music from around the world!
I DIG Style
www.idigstyle.com
Learn about the latest fashion styles and more...

Litton Das wary of complacency and India's SG balls

Written by 
Published in Cricket
Tuesday, 10 September 2024 07:05
Bangladesh are about to embark on another away tour on the back of their remarkable 2-0 victory over Pakistan earlier this month and are already deep in preparation for it. They will be visiting India for two Tests starting next week and one of their heroes from Rawalpindi, Litton Das, has revealed that the team has been trying to get used to the way SG balls behave.

This is a break from the norm. Bangladesh usually play with a Kookaburra ball. That is the brand they use for home internationals and it was the brand used in the Tests against Pakistan as well. India, however, use SG balls for Test cricket and there is significant difference between the two.

"The ball will be a different one in India," Litton said. "It is a little harder to play against the SG ball. The Kookaburra ball is easier to play when it gets old. It is the opposite with the SG ball. It is harder to get away against the old ball when it's the SG."

The white-ball players are reportedly training with Kookaburra balls as the T20Is that follow the Tests in India will be played with the Kookaburra.

Litton also warned that Bangladesh can't rest on the laurels from their first-ever series win over Pakistan. Although he played a big part in it, his century rescuing the side from 26 for 6 in the second Test, he asked the media not to remind them of it.

"We played good cricket against Pakistan but it is already in the past," Litton said. "It is important for us to look forward. We will need your (media's) help. It would be helpful if you don't talk about the Pakistan series. As a player, it is already in the past for me."

There is typically a lot of focus from the Bangladesh fans on matches that their team plays against India and Pakistan and these games are coming back-to-back as well. The only previous occasion when Bangladesh played back-to-back series against Pakistan and India was in 2015 but both were at home, unlike this time when both series are taking place overseas. Litton understood that fans will be watching with great expectations but he refused to see it as a burden.

"It is inspiring that people will know you if you do well," he said. "There's nothing better than that. I don't think it is pressure. We are improving in Tests, so we have to become more consistent in the format. That's the main challenge."

Litton's role in the team as a lower-middle-order batter suits his natural game, where sometimes he ends up with the tail and has no choice but to go for his shots. But he did show he had other gears as well, batting for nearly six hours to dig Bangladesh out of a hole in Rawalpindi.

"I have to take responsibility now," he said. "It is the right time. I have been playing for ten years, so there has been some experience. I try to score off deliveries that I believe are there to hit. Scoring runs is more important these days. I think I bat in the same way that most batters approach the game.

Litton realises that the way he plays comes with a bit of risk but it is also how he's found success. "If it gives me more chance to get out, it also gives me a lot of opportunities to score runs," he said. "I usually get to bat with (Mehidy Hasan) Miraz. Sometimes I bat with Shakib bhai (Shakib Al Hasan) or Mushfiq bhai (Mushfiqur Rahim). If I don't play my shots, the team score won't go anywhere. I want to play like this. I try to play the way I bat in training."

Bangladesh are scheduled to depart for India on September 15 to play two Tests in Chennai (September 19 to 23) and Kanpur (September 27 to October 1), both part of the World Test Championship. The three T20Is that follow will be held in Gwalior (October 6), Delhi (October 9) and Hyderabad (October 12).

Mohammad Isam is ESPNcricinfo's Bangladesh correspondent. @isam84

Read 40 times

Soccer

NL quarterfinal draw: Spain to face Netherlands

NL quarterfinal draw: Spain to face Netherlands

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsThe draw for the UEFA Nations League quarterfinals was made on Frid...

Premier League injury and suspension news, predicted lineups, fantasy updates

Premier League injury and suspension news, predicted lineups, fantasy updates

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsFind out who is missing through injury, who's in a race against tim...

Premier League changes APT rules after City case

Premier League changes APT rules after City case

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsThe Premier League has announced changes to its Associated Party Tr...

2026 FIFA


2028 LOS ANGELES OLYMPIC

UEFA

2024 PARIS OLYMPIC


Basketball

Pistons' Cunningham exits vs. Hornets after fall

Pistons' Cunningham exits vs. Hornets after fall

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsCHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Detroit guard Cade Cunningham left Thursday nigh...

George has bone bruise, to miss at least 2 games

George has bone bruise, to miss at least 2 games

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsPhiladelphia 76ers star Paul George has a bone bruise in his left k...

Baseball

Ohtani 'slowly ramping up' in post-surgery rehab

Ohtani 'slowly ramping up' in post-surgery rehab

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsLOS ANGELES -- Shohei Ohtani is in the early stages of rehabbing fr...

City OKs, then reverses $23M to fix Rays' stadium

City OKs, then reverses $23M to fix Rays' stadium

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- The St. Petersburg City Council reversed co...

Sports Leagues

  • FIFA

    Fédération Internationale de Football Association
  • NBA

    National Basketball Association
  • ATP

    Association of Tennis Professionals
  • MLB

    Major League Baseball
  • ITTF

    International Table Tennis Federation
  • NFL

    Nactional Football Leagues
  • FISB

    Federation Internationale de Speedball

About Us

I Dig® is a leading global brand that makes it more enjoyable to surf the internet, conduct transactions and access, share, and create information.  Today I Dig® attracts millions of users every month.r

 

Phone: (800) 737. 6040
Fax: (800) 825 5558
Website: www.idig.com
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Affiliated