Exclusive: Litton Das Has What It Takes to Lead, says Bangladesh Coach Salahuddin

Bangladesh senior assistant coach Mohammad Salahuddin believes Litton Kumar Das has the potential to evolve into a strong leader if given sufficient time in his role as T20I captain.

The Bangladesh Cricket Board appointed Litton as the T20I captain till the next T20 World Cup, scheduled to be held in India in 2026, after he impressed with his leadership during the tour of the West Indies.

Following that tour, Litton led Bangladesh to T20I series wins against Sri Lanka and Pakistan, although he also suffered a shock defeat against associate nation UAE.

LITTON HAS WHAT IT TAKES TO LEAD

In an exclusive interview with SportsBoom.com, Salahuddin said that Litton has matured as a captain and is now more confident in making decisions.

"Look, you have to give time to every captain. There are very few born leaders in our country who inherit leadership qualities. In general, we lack in this area, and we only begin to realise when someone is developing into a leader from the outside," Salahuddin told SportsBoom.com. 

"When someone is given a responsibility, I feel he should be given some time to grow into it—to develop an understanding of the game and its purpose. You also have to understand how he thinks about the game. I think he will be better as a leader in the future because he thinks deeply—about the conditions, the wicket, the batsmen, and the psychology of the bowlers. This is one of his key qualities."

“Field placement or setting the batting order is a general thing, but there are other nuances a captain picks up slowly—like how to get the best out of a regular performer. That’s the difference between a captain and a leader. A leader wants to inspire others to bring out their best. And when Litton gets more time, he will develop that trait."

“He is certainly looking more confident in his decision-making, and that will only improve with time. But if he doesn’t get enough time, then that’s a problem, because at the end of the day, everyone needs to become a good leader—and I believe Litton has the credentials, provided we are patient with him,” he added.

UAE DEFEAT WAS A TIMELY REALITY CHECK

Salahuddin suggested that the T20I series loss to UAE served as a valuable wake-up call, exposing the areas that required urgent improvement.

“Look, I think the loss to UAE actually opened our eyes to the areas where we need to improve. When you face failure, it clearly shows you where the gaps are. I feel that the issues related to coaching are better left unsaid here, but overall, it helped us reassess,” he said.

“I think that series served as a good alarm—it reminded us that every opponent is an opponent, and we must give our best every single day. We made quite a few technical mistakes, and as a result, we performed poorly—particularly in terms of tactical execution. The tactical movements we were supposed to carry out, we couldn’t implement them properly.”

“But I believe after that UAE series, we began trying to apply the lessons from those mistakes. It acted as a much-needed reality check, and I think it will help us perform better in future."

GOOD PITCHES MAKE GOOD TEAMS

According to Salahuddin, the path to long-term improvement lies in providing quality wickets across all levels of the game, as poor surfaces limit player development and competitiveness at the international level.

“In any country, cricket can't improve just because of players or coaches. It has to be a collective effort from the entire management and everyone involved in the system. The mindset—how we want to develop cricket—must be shared by all. Only when everyone pulls in the same direction can true progress be made,” Salahuddin explained.

“At the end of the day, the performance of 15 players reflects the state of the entire cricketing system. You can’t just send someone into the national team and expect them to rotate strike if they haven’t been exposed to that requirement from the club level. So whether it’s at the grassroots or higher up, players must face the right challenges early on. That way, they’re better prepared when they reach the top.”

Salahuddin stressed that quality wickets are not just desirable, but necessary.

“Of course, we need to play on good wickets. Going into a tournament with confidence is vital, and good surfaces play a big role in that. It’s not that we won’t face difficult pitches—we will, and we have to be prepared for that too. But we must first prepare on wickets that allow players to develop the necessary skills and confidence.”

“It’s not about avoiding Mirpur—we will play there too. What I’m saying is that we need to understand what the game demands. At the end of the day, when the national team does well, that success positively impacts the entire cricketing ecosystem. So our main focus should be on improving the specific areas where we’re still lagging,” he concluded.