Bangladesh national cricket team wicket-keeper batsman Litton Das, 29, has opened up about the challenge of facing the Indian national cricket team in their own backyard in the upcoming two-match Test series.

Najmul Hossain Shanto’s Bangladesh recently defeated Shan Masood’s Pakistan 2-0 in a historic away series. That victory gave Bangladesh enormous confidence, which they will carry forward into the series against India.

The first Test of Bangladesh India tour 2024 will be played from September 19 in Chennai and the second Test will be played from September 27 in Kanpur.

Litton Das was one of the heroes for Bangladesh in their epic Test series win over Pakistan as he posted scores of 56 and 138 in the two innings he batted in. His 138-run knock, which came in the second Test, will go down in history as one of the best knocks in Bangladesh Test cricket history as he scored those runs when his team was losing 26/6.

Meanwhile, speaking ahead of the India Test series, Litton Das said they need to put the success in Pakistan behind them and look ahead to the challenging series in India.

“We played very well against Pakistan. That’s a thing of the past now,” Litton told reporters at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium on Tuesday, as quoted by Cricbuzz.

“Obviously, it’s very important (to put the Pakistan series behind us) and you (the media) have to help a bit as well. It would be better if you didn’t talk too much about the Pakistan series. We have a very tough series ahead (against India). For me as a player, that’s a thing of the past (the Pakistan series), but we definitely gained confidence from that.”

Litton Das added that India is a dominant team on home soil. He said:

“When we play India at their home, they are always better. I wouldn’t say it will be a challenge or very easy. They are a very good team in their own conditions. If you look at the standings, they are way up there. So I think it will be a tough series for us.”

India is a great team and the ball will change too: Litton Das on adapting to Kookaburra’s SG ball

Litton Das also expressed concern about the change of ball when they play India as they will have to adapt to Kookaburra’s SG ball. He also highlighted the key difference between the two balls.

“India are a big team and the ball will also change. We rarely play with that ball. It will be a challenge. The players are working very hard.

“As far as preparation is concerned, we are taking on the main bowlers as much as we can. The SG ball is a bit difficult. It is difficult to play with the Kookaburra when the ball is new, but it is easier to play once the ball is old. However, with the SG ball, playing with the new ball is a bit easier, but playing with the old ball is more difficult. We are practising, let’s see what happens.”

Litton Das further spoke about the need for Bangladesh to dominate the opening sessions of the upcoming Test series to stay ahead in the game.

“We need to focus on this. In Test cricket, you have to win sessions. Every session is important. Personally, I think we were not able to play 100% in the first few sessions. There is scope for a lot of improvement in this aspect,” Litton Das added.

As a senior player of the team, Litton Das is well aware that he has to shoulder the responsibility and lead the batting unit from the front. He said that he will have to do well with the bat consistently but it is not possible to perform well in every match.

“I have been playing cricket for 10 years now, so I have some experience. Now is the time to take responsibility. If I don’t do it now, when will I do it? But that doesn’t mean I have to do it in every match. I am a human being and I can make mistakes,” Litton Das added.