DAVID Willey says his recent spell in the Indian Premier League helped him get his cricketing mojo back.

The Yorkshire all-rounder admits to experiencing some unwanted thoughts last summer as he was left out of England’s one-day side for large parts of their international schedule, including the Champions Trophy, and forced to carry the drinks.

A knock-on effect was that he didn’t play as much as he would have liked for Yorkshire, although he did enjoy a very productive T20 Blast campaign.

He is hoping things can change for the better this summer having returned from India last Monday. The ex-Northants star was straight off the plane and into Wednesday’s thrilling Royal London one-day Cup win at Derbyshire, taking four wickets.

Ahead of tomorrow’s Roses RL50 clash with Lancashire at Emirates Old Trafford, Willey, who won the IPL with Chennai and made three appearances, said: “When I first went out there, I wasn’t too sure what to expect. But it surpassed all expectations.

“It was a great learning experience. You are playing with and against some of the best players from around the globe and working work some coaches that have incredible CVs.

“It’s certainly helped me become a student of the game again, which is quite refreshing.

“I wasn’t in a great place with my cricket last summer. But to play in that environment and learn so much in such a short space of time was quite exciting. Now, I just want to play.

“Last summer, definitely (I fell out of love with cricket). It was a tough time and somewhere I’ve never been with cricket before.

“To just be wishing the game would be finished so I could get away from the ground was quite tough to process given it’s a game I’ve loved from as young as I can remember.

“It was tough to deal with and understand.

“But I’m back thoroughly enjoying my cricket again, and hopefully that can shine through this summer.”

He continued: “When you’re sat on the sidelines for such a long time, the game moves on and you can get stuck in a bit of a rut. Then you play the odd game and it’s difficult to be up to speed. You can practice all you want, but nothing replicates being out in the middle.

“It was a combination of things. I wasn’t sure of my own game and some self doubt came in. There was a bit of a minefield in my head about what I was doing. It was challenging.

“It was great to be back out there at Derby. The more I play, the more I’ll get that confidence back. Fingers crossed I’ll play more regularly for England. If I am carrying the drinks, hopefully there’s an opportunity to get released back to Yorkshire.”

Yorkshire head into tomorrow’s clash with seven points from six games. They currently sit outside the top three qualifying places and may have to win their last two North Group fixtures to get back in.

“It’s a big game against Lancashire,” added Willey.

“At Northants, we had a fair few run-ins with them.

"It’s always nice to beat them, whether it’s with a Northants shirt on or now with Yorkshire.

“I’m sure it will be a tasty game. Hopefully we can perform a little bit better than we did at Derby and make it more of a plain-sailing win.”