Chasing runs, not perfection: Growth mindset lessons from Cricket

Cricket, often called a gentleman’s game, is far more than a bat meeting a ball. Beneath its stats, scoreboards, and stadium roars lies a deep well of life lessons—none more powerful than the principle of the growth mindset.

The scoreboard lies: Focus on progress, not perfection

Cricketers know all too well that the scoreboard doesn’t always reflect effort. A batter might play a flawless innings only to fall to a brilliant delivery. A bowler might toil for hours with perfect line and length, only to end wicketless. In such a game, chasing perfection is not only futile—it’s exhausting. What truly matters is growth.

Every inning is a new beginning

In cricket, a player’s form can swing like a pendulum. Even the best face slumps.

But here lies the beauty: every game offers a reset. A golden duck today doesn't negate a match-winning fifty tomorrow. This short-lived amnesia, combined with big-picture thinking, is a hallmark of the growth mindset.

Young cricketers are demonstrating how to embrace every innings as a new opportunity and continue to improve. It is about not always getting it right, but about showing up every time, learning, and adjusting to every ball.

Learning from losses: The growth mindset playbook

Teams that can regroup after heavy defeats give us a real-life growth mindset playbook. Look at India's famous Test win at the Gabba in 2021. After the embarrassment of being bowled out for 36 in Adelaide, their lowest all-time total, many expected India to fall in a heap. Instead, an injured and inexperienced India shocked the world by defeating Australia in their backyard.What fueled this comeback? Grit, reflection, and belief in improvement—a refusal to accept failure from simply one moment of an experience.By contrast, with a fixed mindset, a player can internalise their setbacks: ‘I’m just not good enough.’ A growth mindset reframes that to: ‘I’m not good enough yet.’

Learn from each time you play

Cricket legends are not just found with natural ability; they are created with deliberate, focused practice! Rahul Dravid's reputation was crafted over many hours, not to great perfection, but to great dependability. He practices his defense. In the nets, in the gym, and in the mind, growth mindset champions treat training as the real game.

They don’t just aim to repeat what they know; they stretch their limits.

The same applies to life. It is not within a comfortable area that growth occurs. Rather, our growth occurs at the edge of our comfort zone, where we experience a level of discomfort, make errors, and learn, again and again.

Mind over matter: The pressure perspective

The growth mindset also helps athletes manage the pressure of opportunities. Cricket is also a very high-pressure sport, where one decision can change the entire outcome of the game.

Athletes who understand pressure may be viewed as an opportunity for growth, rather than a threat to their identity, and seem to flourish.

Mindset is everything

Cricket, like life, doesn’t reward perfection. It rewards persistence, reflection, and evolution. A missed catch, a dropped match, or a poor season—none of these define a player. A true definition of your character is how you recover from that setback.So I ask you, no matter if you're on the field or dealing with your life, take off the idea of chasing runs, not perfection. Mistakes are acceptable, learn from the innings and return to the next as a stronger person. The scoreboard reset... but it never forgets what you bring to the table.By Mahim Verma, Secretary of Cricket Association of Uttarakhand & Former Vice President, BCCI