Litton Das is a bit of an enigma. He gave us a glimpse of his sense of humour last month, but that's about all we know. He doesn't let on much about his identity or his personality. He has a strut, he bats like a dream, and he's also inconsistent. Like most enigmas in cricket, he has admirers rather than followers.
Litton is one of the rare examples in international cricket of an all-format wicketkeeper. He returned to Bangladesh's ODI side earlier this year after a tough time in the format that included being dropped for the 2025 Champions Trophy. He says he struggled mentally with the disappointment of the ODI snub, with being shunted up and down the batting order, and most of all with the selectors' lack of trust in him.
"I think the script would have been very different had I scored two centuries instead of the two fifties in the 2023 World Cup," Litton tells ESPNcricinfo. "I think I still finished as the highest scorer among Bangladesh openers in a World Cup campaign. A couple of hundreds would have got me to 500 or 550 runs, which would have made the story different.
"But from opening at the World Cup, suddenly there was a lot of movement with my batting position. It was said I am not an opener, I should bat at No 4. I don't know why they felt that way. I think I shouldn't have faced this mental barrier after playing cricket for a long time.
"So when the decision was made to send me to No 4, I said that I should get at least two or three series to settle in the position. I had never batted at No 4 in my whole career. They agreed to give me that extended run. After one series, I was asked to open again. I struggled, got out for a duck, and was out of the team. This showed that they didn't give enough respect and time to a senior cricketer. I felt very bad. I struggled mentally after that."
While he struggled through this rough patch in ODIs, Litton made important runs in Tests and captained the T20I side. He has finally come into some form in ODIs too, scoring 76 in the third ODI against New Zealand in April - his first fifty in 20 innings in that format.
Presently, Litton is excited about the white-ball series against Australia, which begins in Dhaka later this week. It is the first time Litton will play against Australia in a bilateral series despite having played international cricket for eleven years. He rates Australia highly even though they bring an under-strength squad on this tour.
"Australia is definitely a big name," he says. "They are among the top teams in world cricket. It will be challenging because they have played recently in Pakistan. Conditions are similar between Pakistan and Bangladesh, so they have played tough cricket. They will have a fair idea of conditions.
"Australia has more chance of being consistent in ODIs than us, since they have just played this format. Of course, we are playing in our home ground where we have mostly done well."
As an all-format wicketkeeper-batter, Litton handles a significant - and unusual for this era - physical and mental workload.
"It is adopting different mindsets that vary from format to format," he says. "You see subtle differences when you change the pattern of your play. I don't find [managing three formats] too difficult, because I have been doing it for a long time.
"You have to be mindful of making that mindset change between the three formats, whatever time you get. I think if you come with the right mindset, you can cover that distance between formats."
The main difficulty, according to Litton, lies in switching between keeping and batting in Test cricket.
"I think it is more of a mental thing in Test cricket. The physical side is definitely there. Your routine changes when you are playing a Test match. You wake up early, you go to sleep early too. It turns into a habit.
"Wicketkeeping is all about how your eye tires out. You are the only one who has to be active the whole time, to keep an eye on everything. So when you go out to bat, you have to make sure that your mind is fresh and eyes are relaxed. It ensures you are batting well.
"You usually bat with tired eyes if you are out to bat soon after a long keeping session. Tired eyes cloud your decision making. So you want a break of about 30 to 40 overs between your keeping and batting, to have your energy back up."
In Bangladesh's last Test, against Pakistan in Sylhet last month, Litton walked in at 106 for 4 on the first afternoon. It quickly became 116 for 6. From there, he added 162 runs with the tail, eventually scoring what turned out to be a match-winning 126. He has performed similar feats several times in the past, most notably when he rescued Bangladesh from 26 for 6 with a 138 in Rawalpindi in 2024.
"As a batter you are always happy scoring a century, but when it helps your team to win a Test match, that's the cherry on top," Litton says. "I think the team really needed the century, and it became the turning point of the match.
"We all play to show our performance. If you do well, there will always be positive news. The ultimate thing however is, to continue batting like this, so that the Bangladesh team can benefit from the runs."
Litton also enjoys captaining the T20I side, which has grown under his leadership even though their progress was stalled by the pull-out from the T20 World Cup earlier this year.
"I have definitely enjoyed the captaincy in the last twelve months," Litton says. "We planned together, we changed a few things. We have done well during this period. There's still a fair way to go before the next World Cup. We have a lot of T20Is this year. I want the team to remain consistent, but there are areas which needs improvement. We lack in a few places. We have to create those, as we try to build a good side."
At 33, as one of the senior statesmen of the Bangladesh team, Litton has significant support among the fans, and his ribbing of Mohammad Rizwan during the Sylhet Test last month has gained him new followers who couldn't believe he could be this candid. But he tells his fans to look for other role models.
"I think it is best not to follow me," he says. "If you want to make a role model, it should be a better player than me. You should aim really high so that if you don't land there, you can at least become someone like a Litton Das.
"I would advise young cricketers to do a lot of training, but do it mindfully. Do it with purpose. You have to be honest to yourself. From the age of 17 or 18, till 25, you have to work extremely hard in the nets. When you hit 25, you would know so much about yourself, you just have to maintain your levels."
As for his own targets, Litton has one specific aim: to do better in big tournaments.
"I want to do well at the world stage," he says. "That's my first target. We have always done well at home, and I think I am also doing well here. But the ultimate goal is to do considerably well in ICC events like the two World Cups and the Champions Trophy, or the Asia Cup.
"You get your biggest achievements when you can make runs in these competitions. You get a great feeling when your runs at that level help Bangladesh with a major win. I think to compete with the best cricketers in the world, I have to do well at the main events."