Abstract:
Cricket as a game is said to be more mental than physical. The batter, in particular, has to be switched on to play a fast ball bowled at more than 100 kilometers per hour or a vicious spinning ball of a wrist spinner. Both require supreme concentration not only to judge the ball but also to choose how he going to play the ball and score runs. Without a mind that is optimally charged the batter is more likely to fail in his endeavour to play on and score runs. Therefore, mental strength and training become critical factors that need to be trained in cricket. Accordingly, the objective of this study was to assess the impact of specific mental training on motivation and preparation among batters in cricket. Fifty state- level cricket players from different schools in Puducherry, India, were recruited as participants. They were divided into two equal groups of twenty-five players each. Group-I was the control group and Group-II acted as the mental training group. Group II was exposed to regular mental training in addition to regular cricket training for twelve weeks. The control group was not exposed to any specific mental training but practiced cricket regularly. The participants were tested before and after the experimental period on the selected variables namely motivation and preparation. The results revealed that mental strength training had a positive effect on the motivation and preparation of the batters in the experimental group when compared to the control group. The experimental group had significantly improved their ability to overcome psychological challenges due to the impact of specific mental training. The batters in the game of cricket have to be mentally trained daily to ensure they perform at their best. Mental training should be a part of the player’s regular training routine regularly.
