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Bangladesh's senior batter Litton Das let his bat do the talking hours after receiving the news that he won't feature in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 squad. In the ongoing Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) 2024 opener, Litton smashed 10 fours and nine sixes in his unbeaten 55-ball 125 for Dhaka Capitals against Durbar Rajshahi at Sylhet International Cricket Stadium on January 12.
While Litton scored the second-fastest BPL century by a Bangladesh batter from just 45 balls, his ODI numbers have been disappointing. In the last seven outings in ODIs, he has failed to score in double digits. He bagged two consecutive ducks against Sri Lanka and one against West Indies last month. His last ODI half-century came against India in Pune in ODI World Cup 2023. It has been nearly three years since Das' last ODI century. He scored 136 against Afghanistan in Chattogram in February 2022.
In the post-match conversation with the reporters, he expected the kind of questions that will come his way. On being asked about whether the unbeaten 125 is an answer to critics and selectors, Das remained calm and said he has got nothing to prove.
"No brother, there is nothing to prove to anyone and I am not interested to prove anything to anyone," he told reporters after the game.
"At the back of the mind I always feel how I can improve my cricket. I think I was not having good time recently. The performance I gave today, I won't say I will be able to do the same in the next game but I will try to be consistent.
"It's difficult to say if I have answered them (selectors) but now the ball is in the court of the selectors. They currently don't think that I am fit for the team and that is the reason I am not in the squad.
"If they feel I am fit enough, they might give me the chance to make a comeback but they are the ones to make the call. I am focusing on BPL for now and thinking how I can do well."
No clear message from selectors
However, the 30-year-old revealed that there was no clear message from the selectors. The experienced batter expected the snub and vows to work hard. He wants to remain in the present instead of thinking about the snub or the blazing knock he played against Durbar Rajshahi.
"A clear message was given (on why I was dropped) but that was not through the selectors. Why I was left out, you can get that in the media. If you see why I was dropped, it was because I was not performing and you (media) all did the news on it. It is an open secret and there is nothing to hide," he said.
"As far as Champions Trophy is concerned, I don't have it in my hands as the call has been made by the selectors. They make the decisions on who will play and who won't. My job is to perform and I could not do it till now. I was upset for that and was thinking on how to deliver in a match.
"I carry the same mindset before and after the match. I always say what happened today is in the past and I might have played a good innings today but will have to start from scratch tomorrow again. At the back of the mind, I know that I have to construct my innings from the beginning. I will work hard and let's see what happens."
Das, Tanzid rewrite record books
Das shared a 241-run opening partnership with Tanzid Hasan who scored 108 runs from 64 balls. This is the second-highest partnership for any wicket in T20 history. Among players from full-member nations, this is the highest ever T20 partnership. The opening duo helped Dhaka Capitals post 254 on the board, the highest score in BPL history. Dhaka Capitals also scripted history as they beat Durbar Rajshahi by 149 runs, the biggest victory in BPL.
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