WORCESTERSHIRE debutant Ben Twohig says bowling hundreds of deliveries at a handkerchief in India in the winter helped him develop and gain the control needed as a spinner in the first-class game.

But Twohig, 20, believes the experience of two months abroad and of “having to do everything for yourself” in “old-school India” also helped him to grow up and mature as a person.

He made his first-class debut in County Championship Division One against Surrey in his first visit to the Kia Oval and showed plenty of promise with the ball.

Ex-Malvern College pupil Twohig started in the second XI five years ago and has always been one of the club's most promising prospects, working closely with spin bowling coach Norman Gifford.

Now that potential is coming to fruition and Twohig recognises how the winter abroad, based mainly at Baroda at the MKGM School as well as two weeks at the Global Cricket School in Mumbai, helped him take that step forward.

He said: “Control was a main part of why I went away. I wanted to go away and try to get that understanding of my own action without input from anyone else.

“I feel I’ve come back a lot more consistent than last year.

"I’m still spinning the ball, which is a good sign, but I’m getting a lot more control and am more economical so on good wickets I might be going at three-an-over instead of four or five.

“I didn’t have to go to India to figure this out but they are taught no matter what to hit line and length.

“They are very simple in the way they play their cricket because they don’t have the facilities and resources.

“They didn’t have bowling machines, the technology to fast-track, so it was just down to hard work and hitting and bowling thousands of balls.

“I’d have days and think ‘I’m going to bowl 300 balls at a handkerchief’ and see how many I hit.”

Twohig, who worked with coach Connor Williams, enjoyed the challenge of fending for himself in India.

He said: “I did a lot of one-to-one work with Connor and then went to the Global Cricket School for two weeks in Mumbai which I got a lot from as well.

“Mumbai was busy but I’m glad I got to see the real side of India first because it was a bit more old school where I was in terms of just nothing has quite got there yet.

“There are still a lot of animals on the road and not many cars. It’s like old-school India whereas Mumbai is like any city in being busy with a lot going on.

“You can get anything you want whereas in Baroda you had to do everything for yourself.

“You had to wash your own clothes. There were no washing machines. I had to walk to the ground every day to practice.

“I did a bit of coaching as well and ate at the school with the kids three times a day, all vegetarian, so that was a shock because I’m not vegetarian.

“But they were just really nice people, very welcoming, and I really enjoyed it. It was a good experience.

“The trip helped me as a bowler and as a batsman but also it just helped me to grow up a bit.”

Twohig will hope to retain his place when the County host reigning champions Essex in the Championship from Friday (11am).