Published Paper Details:

Background: Mental toughness refers to the collection of psychological factor that is essential for proper functioning of mind. Cricket is considered a mental game among elite level performers. Seven-factor model is a widely used measure of mental toughness dimensions. Objective: Our objective was analysis of specific psychological characteristics of cricket players at district, state and national levels with the help of Seven-Factor Model (SFM). Material and Method: In this study, 120 male subjects (60 Batsmen and 60 Pace bowlers) were selected from various sports academies/training center of India. Psychological Performance Inventory (PPI-42) was utilized to measure mental toughness dimensions. One-way MANOVAs (Multivariate Analysis of Variance) were used to compare the difference among psychological variables at different levels of batsmen and pace bowlers. Results: National level batsmen scored high in self-confidence as compared to district level (MD= 3.15; p<0.05); and state level (MD= 1.35; p?0.05) batsmen. National level pace bowlers scored high in negative energy control (MD=3.75; p<0.05) as compared to district level pace bowlers. National level pace bowlers scored high in attentional control (MD= 4.05; p<0.05) and district level (MD= 3.35; p<0.05) pace bowlers. National level batsmen showed high visual/imagery control (MD=2.85; p<0.05) as compared to district as well as state level batsmen. Different levels of Pace bowlers and batsmen did not differ significantly on positive energy control and attitude control. Conclusion: To our knowledge, this is the first study to characterize mental toughness traits of cricket players at different levels of competition based on the dimensions of Seven Factor Model (SFM). Our study indicates that certain mental toughness traits accompany cricket players at different levels of participation (District, State, and National level). National level pace bowlers exhibited greater negative energy control, attentional control and motivational level whereas national level batsmen showed greater self-confidence, negative energy control, visual/imagery control, and performance attitude control as compared to inferior levels of participation. As the game of cricket requires a variety of ways to fully define the concept of "Form", other aspects of mental strength such as focus, arousal control, positive self-talk etc. training features that should focus on talent identification and cricket coaching.