Bangladesh Test skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto takes BIG step after losing series against Sri Lanka

After losing series 1-0 to Sri Lanka in Colombo on Saturday, Bangladesh Test skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto has taken a big step as he decided to step down as captain. The opening Test ended in a draw, and Bangladesh arrived in Colombo. In the next game, Bangladesh batters failed to put in a decent performance and suffered a defeat by an innings and 78 runs. Following this defeat, Shanto decided to quit as skipper from Tests and said that he doesn't want to continue.

Why did Shanto say after stepping down as Test captain?

Calling his decision for the betterment of the team, Shanto said, ''This is not personal. I think this will help the team. I have been a part of the dressing room for the past few years. I think three captains [for the three international formats] is not sensible. I don't know what the board will feel about this, and I will support their decision. But this is my personal decision. I think three separate captains will be difficult for the team to deal with. I would want that no one feels this decision is emotional, or that I am disappointed by something. I want to make this clear. This is for the betterment of the team,'' ESPNCricinfo reported, quoting Shanto.

Shanto tried to explain that his decision wasn't personal, considering the timing of it. Earlier this year, he stepped down as T20l captain. Before Bangladesh's departure, Shanto expressed his interest in continuing with the ODI leadership role. However, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) sacked him from his role and replaced him with Mehidy Hasan Miraz.

"I just hope people don't see this as a personal issue or think I did this because I felt bad about the ODI captaincy snub. I want to make it clear again: this is for the betterment of the team. There is nothing personal here. I already informed the cricket operations department a few days back," he added.

Meanwhile, the next Test captain will be decided soon for the next series against Ireland in October. As of now, Litton Das leads the T20I team while Mehidy Hasan Miraz is the captain of the ODI team.