Bangladesh captain Litton Das said on Wednesday that winning gold at the forthcoming Asian Games men’s cricket event is the team’s ‘big dream’.Bangladesh won their first-ever Asian Games gold in cricket when they beat Afghanistan in the final in 2010. It remains the country’s only gold medal at the Games.
With the women’s team failing to secure a medal, the full-strength men’s side will carry much of Bangladesh’s hopes in Japan.
‘Bangladesh have played many times, but this is the first opportunity for some of us, including me. I feel it is a big thing because we are representing the national team, and at the same time getting the chance to play at an event like this is also special,’ Litton told reporters at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur.
‘You can win trophies in many tournaments, but here there is the prospect of winning a gold medal. That is a big dream, and I think all the players are very excited.’
The rarity of the Asian Games has also added to the players’ excitement, Litton said.
‘Look, everyone will have expectations. In fact, as a player, I will also go there expecting to do something good. One thing I can say is that our players are very eager to play in this tournament because it does not come around every year,’ he said.
‘You can play franchise leagues or for the national team every year, but an event like this is very rare. Every player is excited, and we will all try to fulfil the bigger dream we have.’
Bangladesh will take the tournament match by match, with the ultimate aim of reaching the final and putting themselves in contention for gold. They will enter the competition directly in the quarter-finals, with their opponent yet to be decided.
‘Our focus is on how we can perform well in this tournament and, as I said, how we can make it to the final. If you reach the final, you have an opportunity to win gold.
‘But first, you have to get there. As we always say in cricket, it’s about taking it match by match. We will take it match by match, but the bigger target is to reach the final.’
Litton is also satisfied with Bangladesh’s preparation, with the team having completed a lengthy camp and played two intra-squad practice games ahead of the tournament.
‘The preparation has been very good. We got the opportunity to play two practice games, which we hadn’t done for a long time. As you know, our last T20I series was in Zimbabwe, so these practice games gave us an opportunity to build our bonding as a team. I think we are very well prepared.
‘And definitely, there will be only one target here. Since we are going to play a tournament, we want to reach the final and hopefully do something good there.’
However, adapting to the conditions in Japan could prove challenging. For now, Litton’s main source of information has been watching the women’s matches on television.
‘As for understanding the conditions, I have watched the games on television, especially the women’s matches. So I have tried to understand what I can from watching those games.’
Litton, a former BKSP student, also hopes to watch other events at the Games if his schedule allows.
‘I don’t know whether I will get that opportunity. But since I was a student at BKSP, I had the opportunity from an early stage to watch and follow different sports alongside cricket. Obviously, if we have the option and are not too busy, why not follow other sports as well?
‘I think we can learn a lot by watching other sports. There will be people from many different countries there, so it is a good opportunity to talk to athletes from different sports and learn from them.’
Bangladesh will depart from Japan today with their first match scheduled on September 29.
FP/R 
