The Asia Cup trophy unveiling in Dubai set the stage for eight captains to outline their ambitions. Bangladesh’s Litton Das, stepping into his first major tournament as captain, entered the press conference room second in line, following his UAE counterpart.
For Litton, the occasion marked uncharted territory. Trophy launches and media formalities are not something he has often experienced as leader. Whether he enjoyed the spotlight was hard to tell from his expression, but the weight of responsibility on his shoulders was clear.
Bangladesh have featured in three Asia Cup finals2012, 2016 and 2018yet the title has always eluded them. The last of those finals, played in Dubai, holds a bittersweet memory for Liton. Against India, he struck a superb century, only to see Bangladesh fall short again.
Asked whether the pain of those near-misses adds inspiration, Liton responded:
“We still haven’t tasted a championship but that is history. And history is made to be broken. We will try to play good cricket. There will be many challenges here, it will not be so easy. We will try to improve as a team.”
Despite critics and former players counting Bangladesh out even doubting their chances of making the Super Four stage ahead of group rivals Sri Lanka and AfghanistanLiton is neither deterred nor fuelled by outside voices.
“There is no urge to prove anything,” he said. “We have played very good cricket in recent times. We also had a camp for quite some days. I think we are well prepared for the Asia Cup. All the teams are strong, the matches will be very challenging. We are eager to take on this challenge. We will give our hundred percent.”
Bangladesh arrive in the Emirates buoyed by three consecutive series victories and a productive month-long training camp. The draw places them in Group B alongside Hong Kong, Sri Lanka and Afghanistan. Two wins would secure a place in the Super Four, the next step in their pursuit of a long-awaited first major title.
Reflecting on the journey, Liton admitted the difficulty of the task ahead but maintained quiet optimism:
“When you play in such big events… we have been runners-up a few times. We haven’t won the championship. Winning the title here is not that easy. We will try to give our hundred percent. But there will be many challenges. Only by overcoming them can we do well.”
