The space between levels
There’s a stage in a cricketer’s journey that most people don’t really understand.
It’s not beginner level.
It’s not professional level either.
It’s the space in between — where players are performing well, pushing on, and trying to establish themselves at a higher standard.
That’s where this episode sits.
In Episode 10 of the Cricket Mind Podcast, we speak to Rohan Luthra — a young cricketer currently playing Premier League and National Counties cricket — about what it actually feels like to try and move forward in the game.
Not in theory.
Not in hindsight.
But in real time.
And that’s what makes this conversation so valuable.
There is no clear path — only the next step
One of the most striking themes from the conversation is how unclear the pathway can feel.
From the outside, it often looks linear:
Perform → get picked → move up.
But in reality, it rarely works like that.
Rohan describes a journey of:
- Being selected… then dropped
- Performing… then struggling
- Feeling close… then suddenly far away again
There isn’t a clean progression. There are just moments.
Moments where you’re in.
Moments where you’re out.
Moments where you feel like you belong — and others where you don’t.
And perhaps the most important shift is this:
Stop thinking about the full journey. Start focusing on the next step in front of you.
Early success can create the wrong lessons
At 14, Rohan scored a first-team fifty — a standout moment that gave him confidence.
But it also created a trap.
He spent the following weeks trying to recreate that exact performance:
- The same preparation
- The same routine
- The same feeling
And it didn’t work.
Because performance in cricket isn’t repeatable in that way.
The lesson he eventually learned — and one many players struggle with — is simple:
There is no formula. Only adaptation.
Success comes from responding to what’s in front of you, not copying what worked before.
When selection (and deselection) becomes personal
Being dropped from a county age-group side is something many young players experience.
But that doesn’t make it easy.
Rohan speaks openly about how much it hurt — and how, at the time, it felt like everything.
Looking back, though, he sees it differently:
- It was the right decision
- It reflected where he was at that point
- And it gave him something to respond to
That’s an important reframe.
Because for many players, deselection becomes identity:
“I’m not good enough.”
Whereas the more useful lens is:
“I’m not ready yet.”
That small shift changes everything.
Comparison is everywhere — but rarely helpful
Modern players are exposed to constant comparison:
- Scores
- Averages
- Selections
- Social media
It’s almost impossible to avoid.
Rohan describes how, as a younger player, he fell into that trap — constantly measuring himself against others.
Over time, that changed.
Not because comparison disappeared, but because his focus shifted.
From:
“What are they doing?”
To:
“What do I need to do this week to get better?”
That’s a much harder approach to take — but a far more productive one.
The reality of stepping into higher environments
One of the most interesting parts of the episode is Rohan’s experience of stepping into higher-level cricket environments.
What stood out wasn’t dramatic.
It wasn’t intensity or complexity.
It was consistency.
The best players:
- Didn’t do anything extraordinary
- Didn’t overcomplicate things
- Didn’t look different
They just did the basics — repeatedly, reliably, and well.
That’s often misunderstood.
We assume the gap between levels is huge.
But more often, it’s marginal.
And those margins are built on:
- Decision-making
- Emotional control
- Consistency over time
Why volume alone isn’t enough
Training environments can also be misleading.
Rohan spent time in India, facing thousands of deliveries and training daily.
And while that volume helped, it wasn’t the full answer.
Because repetition alone doesn’t guarantee improvement.
What matters is the quality and variability within that repetition:
- Different bowlers
- Different conditions
- Different problems to solve
In other words:
It’s not how much you do — it’s what you’re learning while you do it.
Managing multiple environments
Another challenge that often goes unnoticed is this:
Playing for different teams at the same time.
Club. County. University.
Each with different expectations.
Rohan describes something many players will recognise:
- Good form in one team doesn’t always transfer
- Poor form can follow you everywhere
That emotional carryover can be difficult to manage.
And there isn’t a perfect solution.
But his current approach is simple:
- Treat each day as its own environment
- Reduce the emotional baggage
- Focus on what’s in front of you
Not perfect — but realistic.
The balance most players get wrong
There’s a tension that sits at the heart of performance.
To improve, you need to care deeply.
But if you care too much, it can consume you.
Rohan speaks honestly about this:
- The desire to improve
- The mental fatigue that comes with it
- The risk of burnout
And the solution isn’t to care less.
It’s to create separation.
To be fully invested when you’re training.
And fully switched off when you’re not.
That balance is difficult — especially for ambitious players.
But without it, progress becomes unsustainable.
What actually helps players move forward
So what does help?
Not quick fixes.
Not shortcuts.
Not perfect plans.
Just a few consistent behaviours:
- Work ethic — putting the time in, properly
- Process focus — improving day by day
- Emotional control — especially when things aren’t going well
- Adaptability — responding to what’s in front of you
- Perspective — remembering cricket is part of your life, not all of it
It’s not glamorous.
But it’s what actually moves players forward.
A more honest view of progression
There’s a tendency in cricket — especially around young players — to jump too quickly to labels and predictions.
Where someone is going.
What level they’ll reach.
What they “should” become.
This conversation is a useful reminder to step away from that.
Progression isn’t about labels.
It’s about:
- Establishing yourself
- Improving your game
- Contributing to the teams you’re part of
- Taking opportunities when they come
And seeing where that leads.
What this really comes down to
Trying to move up in cricket is rarely straightforward.
It’s uncertain.
At times frustrating.
Often slower than expected.
But it’s also where most meaningful development happens.
Not at the top.
Not at the beginning.
But in the middle — where players are learning, adapting, and working things out.
If you’re in that space now, this episode will feel familiar.
And that, in itself, is probably helpful.
Watch Episode 10
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