BAN vs ZIM | Tamim inspired me to break his record and script history, attests Liton Das

Bangladesh opener Liton Das scored a blistering knock of 176 in the final ODI against Zimbabwe as the hosts sealed the game by 123 runs and swelled the three-game ODI series. With this knock, Liton bagged the honour of scoring the highest individual score by a Bangladeshi player in ODIs.

Liton revealed that it was his opening partner Tamim Iqbal, the previous holder of the record, who encouraged him to break the record which was set in the second ODI on March 3, three days prior to the final fixture. Liton shared how Tamim helped him navigate a difficult phase in the game when the Zimbabwe bowlers were delivering a brilliant spell.

"When I was batting on 80, the Zimbabweans were bowling well at that phase and during that point Tamim bhai told me not to lose my head as this will pass away," Liton was quoted as saying by Cricbuzz. "After I crossed 120 he told me that there is a chance to overtake his score and Tamim bhai told me do something that will remain [in the record books] for long in Bangladesh."

Liton, who hit two tons in the series, shared that the aim was to play till 30th over and build a strong platform for the coming batsmen to get going from the word go and put up a competitive total on the board. The destructive opener shared that the thought of going for a double ton never crossed his mind during his 176-run stay in the middle.

"I started from zero. The target was to bat at least 30 overs. And I was batting with planning. But after 100, the momentum changed, position changed. I played fast, so there was a chance [of double hundred] but I never thought of scoring 200 runs,'' he said.

''I targeted to bat as many overs as possible and after the rain break I have to play more shots because of the curtailed overs,'' he pointed out. "After scoring two centuries I can hope that if I play 30 overs I can score big score against any opponent. Today I played the best innings of my life till date. I changed my batting style after the domestic season if I progress like this I can make good scores in the future."