Litton Das is considered as one of Bangladesh's most stylish batters. The classical right-hander has no shortage of skill, and the selectors always back him up so that he can flourish on the international level. He was criticized for not being as consistent for the national team in the longer-version format. However, Litton's transformation in the Test format since the beginning of 2021 has been quite astounding. He is among the leading run scorers in the format in the current season. Let's take a look at Litton Das's recent Test performances.
Litton Das's Test Performances from 2015 to 2020
In 2015, Litton Kumer Das made his Test debut at home against South Africa. He scored fifty against the Proteas and showed some potential during the series. He couldn't continue his momentum for the next five years, despite getting enough chances in the longer-version format.
Litton only managed 859 runs in 34 innings, averaging 26.03 runs per innings. He had his top score of 94 against Sri Lanka in 2018. He also batted in a variety of positions during this period, which may have hampered his improvement in the format. Litton Das batted in three positions: opener, middle order, and lower middle order, making it tough for him to find consistency with the bat.
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Litton Das’s Test batting stats (2015-2022)
|
Span |
Match |
Innings |
Runs |
HS |
Ave |
50s |
|
2015-2022 |
20 |
34 |
859 |
94 |
26.03 |
5 |
Source: https://www.espncricinfo.com/
Test Performances of Litton Das from 2021 to the Present
Many of Bangladesh's many international cricket matches were postponed in 2020 due to the coronavirus outbreak. The world saw a new version of Litton Das when Bangladesh's international cricket resumed in January 2021. The elegant right-hander has improved his batting consistency and composure. He has obviously made some batting adjustments that have helped him perform consistently for the Tigers. Furthermore, he has secured a permanent batting spot in the team, allowing him to flourish with the bat. He has batted in the late middle order since last year, primarily at No. 6 or No. 7.
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Since 2021, Litton Das has been one of the top run scorers in the Test format. His Test performance over the last year and a half is in stark contrast to his first five years. He has 1,100 runs in 21 innings with a more than 50 batting average since January of last year. He has also accumulated 3 hundreds and 7 fifties during this period.
Top five most runs in Tests since January 2021 (as on 24 May, 2022)
|
Player |
Innings |
Runs |
HS |
Ave |
100s |
|
Joe Root |
39 |
2,066 |
228 |
54.36 |
8 |
|
Dimurth Karunaratne |
20 |
1,209 |
244 |
60.45 |
5 |
|
Litton Das |
21 |
1,100 |
141 |
52.38 |
3 |
|
Rishabh Pant |
28 |
1,077 |
101 |
43.08 |
2 |
|
Kraigg Brathwaite |
26 |
1,016 |
160 |
42.33 |
2 |
Source: https://www.espncricinfo.com/
Litton Das is also one of the top two Test run scorers in 2022, trailing only Usman Khawaja of Australia. He has struck 506 runs for an average of 56.22 so far this season. This year has also seen two of his three hundred, including his highest-ever 141-run score against Sri Lanka.
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Top five Test run scorers (1 January – 24 May 2022)
|
Player |
Innings |
Runs |
HS |
Ave |
100s |
|
Usman Khawaja |
9 |
751 |
160 |
125.16 |
4 |
|
Litton Das |
9 |
506 |
141 |
56.22 |
2 |
|
Dean Elgar |
12 |
439 |
96* |
39.90 |
0 |
|
Temba Bavuma |
12 |
428 |
93 |
42.80 |
0 |
|
Abdullah Shafique |
6 |
397 |
136* |
79.40 |
1 |
Source: https://www.espncricinfo.com/
Way Forward
Litton is a solid player with the potential to be the heart of Bangladesh's batting order. While the senior players approach the end of their careers, others must step up to fill their position. The stylish Bangladeshi Batter Litton Das is undoubtedly one of them, and recent statistics back up his contribution to Bangladesh Test cricket.
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