‘Starting from zero is always a challenge’

PHOTO: FIROZ AHMED

It was the second over of the first session of Day Two yesterday, where Liton Das was standing on 114 runs as he was about to face Hasan Ali's last ball of the over. Anticipating yet another outswing delivery, Liton was completely taken by surprise as an inswinger, this time, went past the inside edge of his defensive prod and struck him on the back thigh pad. Liton's spectacular innings came to an end early in the day as it only opened the portal to the demise of Bangladesh's first innings. Mushfiqur's dismissal set the Tigers further on the backfoot as the tail-enders could not take the team beyond 330 or the lunch interval.

But looking back at the feat Liton pulled off on the first day, his elegant display with the bat created a refreshing aura, not only for Bangladesh cricket but also for Liton as an individual. Even though the Tigers could not reach an amassed total, it takes nothing away from Liton's maiden Test century on the first day.

Great sportsmen around the world are remembered not only for their great performances but also for their comebacks when chips are down. Liton had been called into question since his disappointing run in the recent T20I World Cup, which had consequently left him out from the squad that faced Pakistan in the three-match T20I series earlier this month. However, history has shown that the best way to respond amid criticism is to perform on the pitch and Liton did exactly that. And if the 27-year-old batter regards the innings as his new beginning, this can be the start of something remarkable for Bangladesh cricket.

"The feeling is always great," Liton expressed his feelings after the end of the second day. "A batsman can't ask for anything more if he gets to score a century. But I would've felt better if I could extend the innings," he added.

Although Liton has been undergoing a tremendous calendar year in red-ball cricket, scoring 483 runs so far with an average of 60.37, the wicketkeeper-batter still wants to follow the process to maintain his consistency with the bat.

"I'm always trying to be consistent, just because I scored a hundred today doesn't mean I'll score a hundred again in the next day. "Test cricket is very tough. Starting from zero is always a challenge but I'll try to follow the process as I've been doing for the last six-seven Tests," Liton added.

The dynamics of a Test match transforms each day and in each session. Despite Pakistan dominating the first session of Day One, Bangladesh fought hard in the following two sessions to end the day in their favour. And then on the second day yesterday, Pakistan bounced back and had all three sessions under their control. However, Liton believes the situation of the match is still balanced for both sides ahead of the third day.

"Look, when we [Bangladesh] lost four wickets before lunch on the first day, everyone thought we would get bundled out for a small total. Me and Mushfiq Bhai [Mushfiqur] stitched a very good partnership and bounced back from the situation.

"Pakistan did well today but the situation still favours both sides," he concluded.