'I don’t want to resign': Litton Das rules out stepping down after Bangladesh’s Asian Games failure

Bangladesh captain Litton Das has ruled out stepping down from the leadership role despite his team’s disappointing Asian Games campaign, which ended without a medal.Bangladesh suffered a 63-run defeat to Sri Lanka in the bronze-medal playoff, marking the first time they have failed to win a cricket medal at the Asian Games. Sri Lanka, reduced to 21/4 early in their innings, were rescued by Tharindu Ratnayake, whose counter-attacking 65 turned the contest in his team’s favour.Litton admitted Bangladesh failed to perform at their best but credited Ratnayake for producing a match-changing innings.“I think we bowled very well in the first eight overs. Then you saw the kind of shots he played on this wicket. It was very difficult,” Litton told reporters after the match.“He batted extraordinarily and our bowlers had no clue how to come back. Credit has to be given to him for playing such an extraordinary innings. When we went out to bat, we couldn’t cover it up in any way. We were not up to the mark with the bat today,” he added.Litton rules out resignationLitton, who scored just 2 and 0 in Bangladesh’s two matches at the Games, acknowledged that his own performance was below expectations. However, he insisted there was no reason for him to walk away from the captaincy.“My performance was not up to the mark. I could not perform well in both matches,” he said.“I don’t want to resign. There are ups and downs in cricket. One day it will be good and one day it will be bad. There is no point in resigning here. It’s normal. I came with a big target. When I can’t deliver that, everyone will feel bad, and that’s natural.“But as a team, we have given a lot in the past. I think we will give in the future too. We will try for that again,” Litton added.Litton defends players over hotel incidentReports of Bangladesh players leaving the team hotel without informing the authorities also emerged after the defeat, with the incident reportedly leading to the possibility of disciplinary action.Litton, however, defended the players and questioned the facilities available to the team, saying they needed suitable spaces to train as well as access to food that met their requirements.“Practice is required. Are there facilities there? No. So will a player be confined inside a room all day?” Litton said.“They need energy. If you think that the food being provided by the federation or the Asian Games is not suitable for us, then should a player not eat? If they want to eat, they have to go outside. That’s what the players did,” he added.Stay updated with the latest Asian Games 2026 news, check the Asian Games medal tally and complete Asian Games schedule.Get the latest Sports News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.