Salahuddin: 'Litton has all the ingredients of a good captain'

Litton Das has shown enough potential to hold on to the role of Bangladesh's T20I captain till next year's T20 World Cup, according to assistant coach Mohammad Salahuddin. The endorsement came after questions were raised about Litton's appointment following Najmul Hossain Shanto relinquishing the job earlier this year.

Litton has just a solitary half-century and a strike rate of 101.76 in the last 12 months in the format. He has also lost his place in the ODI team and was recently rested from the Test side. But he is all set to lead Bangladesh in the two-match T20I series against UAE in Sharjah next week.

Salahuddin feels Litton showed enough leadership skills during Bangladesh a 3-0 win against West Indies in their backyard last December. Litton himself scored just 17 runs but took some proactive decisions under pressure, which helped Bangladesh dominate the home side.

"From the Litton I knew for a long time to the one I saw leading the team [in the West Indies], it is like night and day," Salahuddin said in a press conference in Dhaka on Sunday. "If you see one of his recent interviews, you will notice the difference. I think if the boys are guided properly, they can adjust to the situation faster. We all have to support the captain. I think Litton has all the ingredients of a good captain. He can motivate the players. He is good with strategy. He is trying to take it forward. I think he will do well if allowed to work independently. You can't just make a leader."

Salahuddin also emphasised the challenges that come with Bangladesh's captaincy. "We must realise that he is the captain of Bangladesh, which for us stands for the whole country. Leading Bangladesh is a very difficult job, although it may seem easy from the outside. Those who think that it is an easy thing are living in a fool's paradise."

After Shanto stepped down, Litton is probably the only choice for captaincy in Bangladesh's current T20I side. With Mehidy Hasan Miraz dropped from the format, there is no clear leadership group in the team. Mahedi Hasan being named as the vice-captain suggests as much.

"We haven't performed collectively," Salahuddin said. "We have to admit that we are not consistently performing at the highest level. It is a big challenge. We have rapid ups and downs in our performance. Our people are emotional, so they have a hard time accepting how their performance isn't the same every game."

Bangladesh have a long summer of T20 cricket. If their schedule remains as it is, they will play two T20Is against UAE, five against Pakistan, three against Sri Lanka, then three more against Pakistan in July and three against India in August.

Salahuddin said that it was critical for the team to work on their batting ahead of this busy schedule. "We had some training sessions targeting skill development. We have also stressed on the players' fitness. It is rare for us to get such time as we go from one series to another so rapidly. We want their improvement in skills and fitness. There are certain shots that we are unable to apply in the middle, so we worked on those skills that would b