‘Now I know the nature of Test cricket’

Liton Das has been the name of a revolution for Bangladesh over the past one year or so as the elegant right-hander keeps taking his game to greater heights with commendable consistency.

With a magnificent 141-run knock against Sri Lanka in the second Test, Liton combined with another centurion Mushfiqur Rahim to rescue the Tigers from a disastrous position of 24 for 5 to eventually post a total of 365 runs in the first innings.

It was Liton's third hundred in the last seven months in the longest format and undoubtedly, his sheer elegance despite being under tremendous pressure remained the highlight of his innings as he went on to dominate the Lankan bowlers.

It seems something has definitely transformed in Liton's batting approach since the 27-year-old has been a prolific run scorer for the Tigers and averages fifty-plus in both Tests and ODIs for the last year.

"I've changed the method of my training but I can't tell you the specifics of the changes, better I keep that inside me," said a rather introverted Liton to the media after the second days' play in Mirpur yesterday.

"The team want me to perform and expect me to play a long innings and it remains on the back of my mind. Now I know what the nature of Test cricket is and how long I need to bat to score big. The suggestion from [former batting coach Ashwell Prince] Prince worked well for me. I still follow his advice to bat long."

 Not so long ago, Liton's lack of consistency for a highly talented cricketer had induced heavy criticisms.

 "I do try my best all the time. At times I fail, which is part of a cricketer's life. People will praise me if I do well today and I need to accept that and move on," said the wicketkeeper-batter.