'Playing Asian Games is a rare occurence' - Litton Das

Litton Das, the captain of Bangladesh, will lead an "eager" and "excited" team in their quest for a second gold medal in the men's cricket competition at the Asian Games. Litton, who will be appearing in his first Asian Games, said the games will also give his players the chance to rub shoulders with athletes from other sports and disciplines.

Bangladesh's only gold medal at the Asian Games came in 2010 when it won the competition in Guangzhou. In 2014 and 2023, they won bronze. In the women's cricket competition, they have won the silver twice, and bronze once.

Litton, like all of Bangladesh's frontline players, was unable to compete in the 2023 Asian Games because of a conflict with the 50-over World Cup.

Litton stated, "I have played for the Bangladesh team for a long time, but this is my first time participating in the Asian Games." "We always aim for medals, but this time our big goal is to win a gold medal. All the players are really excited about it. As a player I will also have my expectations. I can assure you that every player is looking forward to this tournament. We get to play franchise or international tournaments often, but playing in the Asian Games is a rare occurrence."

Litton said that he wants the team to leave a mark in the competition, so that they understand what is needed to be done at the Olympics level too, in 2028.

He stated, "Everyone wants to contribute for their country." Cricket enables us to accomplish this. We will undoubtedly encounter difficulties, but our focus is on winning matches. We want to reach the final of the Asian Games, which will give us a chance at the Olympics and ultimately benefit the rest of the country's sports."

Bangladesh's real concern, however, is in the lack of T20Is they have played this year. In the 2026 bilateral series against New Zealand, Australia, and Zimbabwe, they have only won three of the eight completed matches. Their most recent assignment was a 2-1 victory over Zimbabwe in the T20I series in July.

Litton is of the opinion that the team will benefit in multi-team competitions thanks to the training camp in Dhaka, where they also played two practice matches, and the growing number of Bangladeshi cricketers participating in T20 franchise leagues.

He stated, "I think the more Bangladesh players participate in these leagues, the better our overall game will be." "When Shakib [Al Hasan bhai] or Fizz [Mustafizur Rahman] played on the franchise circuit, people were aware of Bangladesh. When only one or two players are participating in the franchise circuit, there is always more opportunity for other players."

Litton went on to say that in order to strengthen their lower middle order for the T20Is, Bangladesh will want to give Yasir Ali more time to settle in.

According to Litton, "We are focused on finding better options in the lower order of our line-up." "At the moment, Rabbi [Yasir] has returned to the side. He has achieved success in Zimbabwe. Bangladesh generally has three or four options to bat in the lower-middle order. We'll consider all of our options and play the best batter."

Litton said he will also use the Asian Games to find out more about how top athletes from other sports and disciplines go about their business.

"Since I was a student at the Bangladesh Krira Shikkha Protishtan, the nation's sports institute, I have always found it interesting to watch other sports. We will definitely catch up on the remaining games if we have the time. I think there will be a lot to learn from other sports personalities. We can speak with athletes from different nations."

Mohammad Saifuddin, an all-rounder, has been ruled out of the Asian Games due to a hamstring injury. In his place, Bangladesh have given the 29-year-old mystery spinner Aliss Al Islam his first T20I call-up.