Salahuddin's Support for Long-Term Captaincy of Litton Das

Litton Das has recently been made Bangladesh's T20I captain, and his career as a captain will begin with the UAE T20 series. Despite the recent performance being doubted, senior assistant coach Mohammad Salahuddin is optimistic about Litton's captaincy skills. It is not a simple job to be the captain of the Bangladesh cricket team, and Litton should be supported while he attempts this work.

Litton's recent batting form has been poor. He has scored merely 242 runs in 16 T20I matches in the last year and only one half-century as his claim to fame. His series against the West Indies recently did not go so well with performances of 0, 3, and 14, despite the team continuing to win the series under him as captain. To the criticism, Litton was omitted from the Champions Trophy team, and his participation in off-field dramas in the last World Cup did not go unnoticed.

But Salahuddin asks the critics and the fans to practice patience. He reminds them that it is not as easy to be a Bangladesh cricket team captain as things seem from outside. Salahuddin clarified that it is simple to knock from the outside, but deserving of captaincy problems demands a better understanding. In his opinion, individuals become annoyed if they observe a different person as a captain, but they need to understand that time is taken to develop a successful captain.

Salahuddin also respects Litton's natural leadership quality. He believes that Litton must be given the liberty to inspire the team through his own decision-making. Leadership, to him, is not a matter of overnight learning. It's an instinctive quality, and allowing Litton to be given independence to lead will help him develop as a captain substantially. Salahuddin is convinced that leaders must be given independence to prepare and implement their thoughts without interference. If a captain is not provided with the room to lead, then there is no use assigning him the responsibility in the first place.

Another frequent criticism regarding Litton is that he appears standoffish, particularly when interacting with the media. Salahuddin does not agree, however. He compares Litton to Shakib Al Hasan, another central player who is renowned for being quiet. Salahuddin believes that although Litton is not a talking person, that does not automatically mean that he is not leadership material. Everybody needs to learn, whether it is as captain, as player, or as an individual.

Salahuddin goes on to elucidate that being a captain does not merely mean serving success and victory. It also involves tolerating criticism and keeping calm when things do not pan out. He is of the opinion that Litton is capable of coping with the praise and adversity associated with the position. Litton's tranquility might be misinterpreted as the absence of passion, but it is simply a part of his personality that can serve to keep him grounded in high-pressure situations.

Emotional outbursts are quite a usual occurrence in Bangladesh cricket, both among the fans and within the team. Salahuddin points to the reality that among the bigger problems is that they don't have team performance as a group. Instead of blaming a new captain, more focus should be given to making the team come together. Now that Litton is starting his new chapter, Salahuddin requests everyone to remain patient and let him build his own path as a captain.

The start of Litton's stint as captain along with the UAE T20 series will be very important. Though his batting too has been doubtful, Salahuddin's steadfast backing indicates the team management's willingness to accord him the requisite time to evolve into the position. As Bangladeshi cricket enthusiasts and cricket lovers as a whole, it is also important to provide Litton space and back him up to exhibit his leadership chops.

Cricket success, particularly leadership, does not happen overnight. While the players learn and gain experience, captains also get time to find their own style and command respect from the team. Salahuddin's message here is simple - leadership does not happen overnight, and Litton's leadership journey has to be seen through positive spectacles and not doubt. Giving him the assistance he needs at this point can have a dramatic effect in the future.