For two years, in 2014 and 2015, Rony Talukdar kept himself in the forefront of selection meetings. But his tally of 2601 runs could not win him a place in the Bangladesh ODI or Test squads and given how fast-moving cricket has been in the country, there's a danger that his only international appearance could be a sole T20I against South Africa. Rony became a proficient opening batsman in domestic cricket at the wrong time. Tamim Iqbal has been a constant presence for Bangladesh, with his opening partner changing quite regularly, and Rony was the most talked about cricketer before Bangladesh launched their long home season after the 2015 World Cup.

But Soumya Sarkar was preferred ahead of him, and never looked back. Rony sat out the home series against Pakistan and India before finally getting a chance to bat in national colours, making only 21. But chances keep coming in Bangladesh cricket, so he still has time in hand. He fell into a lull of form after being dropped from the squad before retaining some ground. Rony hails from a cricketing family in Narayanganj, with his younger brother Jony, a left-handed opener, having also played first-class cricket. He came through the age-group structure and played in the 2008 U19 World Cup, though it was not a great tournament for him. He used to be a wicketkeeper in his formative years and still occasionally does the job when required.
Mohammad Isam