The lead-up to the T20 World Cup 2026 was anything but smooth. Bangladesh refused to travel to India, stirring up a bit of controversy. The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) insisted they weren’t convinced about the safety in India, no matter how many assurances came from the ICC and BCCI. Bangladesh stood their ground and pulled out, leaving Scotland to take their place in the tournament.
Litton Das, Bangladesh’s T20 captain, seemed frustrated. He said the players wanted to play, but the BCB made the call. Litton even pointed out how they’d played in pretty dangerous conditions in Pakistan—armed guards stationed outside their rooms—so playing in India shouldn’t have been an issue.
“We went there for a meeting with BCB officials, just expecting some tea in an air-conditioned room,” Litton told Prothom Alo. “They asked us what we wanted. What would we want as players? We don’t want a fight, we want to play. They told us India wasn’t safe. But we’ve played in Pakistan, with guns outside the doors. What’s riskier than that? If we can play in Pakistan, why not India?”
Back in January, when things blew up, Litton kept quiet about his real opinion. He was cautious, unsure about whether Bangladesh would even compete. “Are you sure we’re playing the World Cup? I’m uncertain—everyone’s uncertain. I think the whole of Bangladesh is uncertain right now. No answer. I know what you’re about to ask, and that’s not safe for me. No answer,” he said.
Litton got his Test debut against India in 2015, and his T20I debut came that same year against South Africa. At first, he was just a batter, but in 2017, he picked up wicketkeeping duties, letting Mushfiqur Rahim focus on batting.
One of Litton’s standout moments was in the 2018 Asia Cup final, when he hammered a century against India and earned the ‘Man of the Match’ award—even though Bangladesh lost. Fast forward to March 2020, Litton smashed an impressive 176 off 143 balls against Zimbabwe, marking the highest individual ODI score by any Bangladesh batter.
