English batter Robin Das thrilled to play in his father's country

Born and raised in England, 20-year-old Robin Das has a huge connection with Bangladesh. His father, Mridul Kanti Das, is from Sunamganj, Sylhet. All set to represent Dhaka Dominators in the ongoing Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), Robin expressed he is thrilled to play in his father's country. 

Robin was born long after his father moved to England. The 20-year-old has played county cricket for Essex. Robin scored a brilliant double century for the Essex Under-16 team against Brentwood Cricket Club in July 2018. 

The right-handed batter is a well-known name in the Bangladesh cricket arena. He was named in the Bangabandhu T20 tournament draft held at the end of 2020. But no team bought him. This time he was supposed to play for Sylhet Strikers, but the deal fell through after it was almost finalised. But finally, he got the opportunity to play for Dhaka Dominators.

For the first time in a foreign league, that too in his father's country. Robin is full of excitement, as expected.

Robin, who joined the Dhaka team, expressed his feelings on Monday and said, "I am very excited. This is my father's country. He used to tell me about his home in Bangladesh. He is very happy that I came to play in this tournament. Everyone in the family is very happy, and very excited. Not only my family members but also my relatives here are very happy. They came to welcome me at the airport. They are very happy to see me in Bangladesh. Hope they will see me play here as well."

The Sylhet phase of BPL will start on January 27. Robin does not want to miss the opportunity to go to Sylhet and meet his relatives. 

"Of course! When I go to Sylhet with the team, I plan to go there (Sunamganj) to meet relatives. I will visit my relatives. I will meet my father's family. It will be a big deal for me to be able to play in my father's hometown in Sylhet."

Robin, who won Essex's 'Academy Player of the Year' award in 2019, regularly watches Bangladesh play. His favourite Bangladeshi cricketer is Litton Kumar Das. 

Journalists usually ask when they meet any expatriate player if they want to play for Bangladesh. Robin was also asked this question. Although he expressed interest in the answer, he first told about his big dream of representing England.

"Now my dream is to play for England. But I don't want to close any doors for the future. But playing for England is my dream. I grew up in England and played county cricket for Essex there. I think, if possible in the future, I want to play for this country."