Liton’s responsibility also an opportunity to recapture form

Liton Das goes into the West Indies tour, which gets underway in earnest with the first Test match beginning on November 22 in Antigua, as one of only two senior batters in the squad alongside Mominul Haque.

Injuries to Mushfiqur Rahim and regular skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto and the absence of Shakib Al Hasan have put the Bangladesh team in a difficult spot, especially in a country where batters have struggled the most on recent tours.

Without such senior batters, Bangladesh drafted in Shahadat Hossain Dipu and Mahidul Islam Ankon, and the responsibility falls on Mominul and Liton, alongside a young batting line-up, to negotiate West Indies' pace attack.

However, Liton's form vaporised since his half-century and a century against Pakistan in Rawalpindi in August. In the last six innings since the ton, Liton managed double figures only twice, scoring 45 runs. His record in West Indies also stands against him, averaging just over 21 in eight innings with one fifty.

Suffering from a fever, Liton was absent during the Afghanistan ODIs but he will be a key all-format player this series. His 32-ball 61 in Lauderhill in 2018 seized the T20I series in Bangladesh's favour and he will like to recapture his batting form with the Tests since it was his prolific scoring during 2021-2022 season, averaging over 46 in Tests during that period, which saw him become an integral part of the batting unit in all formats.

More importantly, spending time at the crease helped him get his technique tuned. Before the series, Liton's Comilla Victorians coach Mohammad Salahuddin joined the Tigers' coaching staff. Liton was seen keenly discussing things with the seasoned coach.

Rishabh Pant's coach Devender Sharma had talked about the key facets of a coach while talking to The Daily Star during the India series earlier this year.

Liton has blown hot and cold recently, his inconsistency a burning issue in Bangladesh's national team context. Devender said that at Sonnet Cricket Club -- where Pant began his trade -- they make assessment of which player would serve the national team through technique at first but then work begins on mentality, a key aspect Liton may need to focus on.

"Cricket is just about planning. We work on mental strength of the children. You have to motivate them that they are the best and you will win the match for the team," Devender had told The Daily Star.

"Players can become mentally down after one bad performance, so you have to talk about their game with them. You have to encourage them to learn about the challenges they face. It's key in modern cricket. I put my effort to make sure Rishabh Pant plays for the country and the results are in front of you. Liton is a very interesting player and I think he will fix those issues," the coach had added.

With Salahuddin now in the fold, looking at batting side of things, Liton's challenge is also an opportunity to find his groove.