Litton Das, the 20 year old wicket keeper-batsman, who made a stunning Test debut for Bangladesh against India in Fatullah last week, is set to make his way in the shorter format too. The explosive batsman, who made a fine 44 and also kept wickets, is tipped to make his debut in the first ODI versus India at the Sher-e-Bangla Stadium in Mirpur on Thursday .
With regular keeper Mushfiqur Rahim ready to take up the big gloves again, Litton will play as a batsman. He might open the innings with the experienced Tamim Iqbal or bat at No. 3, looking to give Bangladesh a breezy start.
Mustafizur Rahman, the other uncapped player in the Bangladesh squad, may have to wait for his maiden ODI cap as the home team is likely to go with Rubel Hossain, Taskin Ahmed and captain Mashrafe Mortaza in the pace department. Mustafizur caught the eye in the one-off T20 International against Pakistan earlier this year when he troubled the opposition batsmen, dismissing big guns Mohammad Hafeez and Shahid Afridi in the process.
Mustafizur is not the only one who will miss out as competition for places in the Bangladesh ODI lineup has got more intense in recent times, with a number of young players bursting on to the scene on the back of compelling performances in domestic cricket. Litton has been at rage in local competitions and has forced his way into the squad after having logged 1028 runs in the National Cricket League and over 700 in the Dhaka Premier League. Asked about the difference between international and domestic cricket, Litton said: “There is obviously a big difference. International cricket requires a different approach, a different mentality.There’s a lot of pressure, too.”
Litton, who has had to wait for long to make his debut, is keen to get going. “I wish I had been picked earlier. But now that I have made the cut, I would like to contribute to the team’s cause,” he said.
Another player likely to miss out is the talented southpaw from Chittagong Mominul Haque. The stylish left-hander, who boasts a Test average of 58.75, is considered to be too slow for limited-overs cricket. Mominul, who in Fatullah fell 20 runs short of logging a world record 12 half-centuries in successive Tests, has no place in the middle-order where players like of Rony Talukdar, Soumya Sarkar, Mushfiqur Rahim, Shakib Al Hasan and Nasir Hossain are already positioned to play. Their ODI Mortaza, who sustained minor injuries in a road accident recently, practised with a bandaged right inner wrist.