Litton wilting under pressure as his batting blues persist in white ball cricket

It was not so long ago that Litton Das was considered an inevitable part of the Bangladesh team across all formats. But a recent dip in form saw his exclusion from the ODI squad, too, in the middle of an ongoing series. It is certainly a new experience for Litton to taste. Litton finds himself grappling with a prolonged slump in form, particularly in white-ball cricket. His recent performances have been underwhelming, raising concerns among the team management and the fans alike.

In the T-20 series against the Lankans, Litton has failed to leave a mark, with inconsistent performances hampering the team's chances of chasing the big scores posted by the Lankans. Bangladesh lost the first T-20 only by three runs; in that game, Litton got out without scoring a run. Had he given the team a solid start, the story could've been different.  

Litton's scores read 0, 36, and Seven in the three T-20s. His struggle to adapt to the frenetic pace of the shortest format of the game has been evident in that series, as he grapples with shot selection and timing, resulting in dismissals at crucial moments of the games.

In ODIs, Litton's numbers have dwindled, with a significant dip in his batting average and overall game. In the first two ODIs, it was rather shambolic, as he couldn't manage to score a single run! He is considered a dependable opener, but he now struggles to provide the necessary fuel at the top of the order, often faltering against quality bowling attacks. 

His inability to convert good starts into substantial scores has added to Bangladesh's middle-order woes, placing immense pressure on the team's batting lineup, which was also seen at the World Cup. Litton was not able to live up to expectations. Bangladesh had a campaign to forget, and Litton had his fair share of failure in the mix. He got past 50+ only twice in his last 20 ODI innings, none in the last 10. The two 50+ scores came in the matches where Bangladesh lost. 

It wasn't so surprising that Litton would get under the scissors from the XI, but leaving him out of the squad? That might have stretched a bit too far. Zaker Ali Anik got called up in place of the right-arm opener. Bangladesh's chief selector, Gazi Ashraf Hossain Lipu, marked the form issue, which forced them to take the decision, "We had to consider the fact that Litton was out of form in white ball cricket for a while. So we had to make the change." 

Litton flew to Dhaka, and he has been advised to take part in the DPL to recover his form in white ball cricket. In his first game back in DPL, Litton got out scoring only five runs of 19 balls. 

Several factors could be attributed to Litton's decline in form. Confidence issues and the pressure of expectations might be playing a role in his struggles. Moreover, the ever-increasing competition for spots in the opening adds to the pressure on him to perform consistently.

The remaining two openers in the squad, Anamul Haque Bijoy and Tanzid Hasan Tamim, will look to pounce on the opportunity when it arrives and try to cement their position in the opening place left void by Litton. 

It is to be seen when and how Litton gets his place back in the white ball format as the T-20 World Cup is around the corner. To the very least, it is not going to be an easy path. In the meantime, Bangladesh cricket enthusiasts would like to believe that Litton Das will rediscover his mojo and once again dazzle on the field as the formidable force he once used to be.