Adapting to Indian conditions: Cameron Herring on his four week trip to the world's most cricket-mad country
8 December 2014
After breaking my finger the 2014 season was at times a frustrating and difficult one for me.
With that in mind I happily put up my feet and enjoyed a few weeks R&R at the start of October. However, this rest period was short lived as only three weeks later I flew out to India to spend four weeks working on my game in varied and testing conditions.
The trip was set up by Julian Wood our power hitting coach. After meeting with him during the season both I and Academy batsman Brandon Gilmour were offered a chance to join up with his academy in Mumbai which we both gratefully accepted.
After arriving in India we made the short bus journey to the Goregaon Sports Club where we would be based for the first 10 days. This short trip was an eye opener in itself as we drove through a number of slums and shanty towns and it made me realise how lucky we are back home.
During the days I was able to net against a number of different types of bowlers. Although it took a little while to get used to the different types of wickets and the scorching weather, I was able to develop different skills to help me enhance my game.
I trained with Julian’s academy which had players from the age of 10-17 and I also helped with the coaching duties. This was really helpful for me as I am looking to complete my ECB Level 2 coaching course this winter. I must have done something right as all the players displayed improvements during both training and matches.
On our rest days Julian organised a few trips for us including a visit to the local orphanage and the iconic gateway of India. The trip to the orphanage again made me realise how lucky we are in the UK and also made me feel extremely embarrassed to be complaining about the lack of wi-fi at the hotel!
The trip to the Gateway of India was an enjoyable experience as we got to see the great monument that in the early days was the first thing visitors saw as they entered Mumbai by sea. It was a great experience although at times it got quite stressful. Being professional cricketers from England we quickly became the centre of attention in this cricket-mad environment!
After 10 days Julian and his academy left us and we moved on to stage two of the trip at the famous MIG sports club where the great Sachin Tendulkar first picked up a bat.
For the next 15 days me and Brandon trained with the team at the sports club and which was another great experience. Due to the extreme heat we commenced training at 7am which was a little surreal but to train in the midday heat of 50 degrees would have been impossible! We trained for two hours on batting, wicketkeeping and fielding and with the ground being very dewy, getting used to playing the skiddy ball was a tricky and testing challenge.
After training, we would have a few hours downtime for sunbathing using the Internet (In a library which resembled being back at school) etc before heading back out at around 2.30pm for afternoon training. This would last until dark and involved training with the MIG Sports club A team which had a number of very good players. Facing good bowlers with many variations was a very testing and enjoyable experience and hugely beneficial to my development.
This was our daily routine and apart from the odd Tuk Tuk ride to the mall it rarely altered. This was similar to the food we ate - toast and Nutella for breakfast, chicken for lunch and butter chicken for dinner. There were a number of wonderful culinary delights on display but we decided to play safe.
By the end of the trip I felt my game had improved massively and I would definitely like to return to this wonderful country if the offer arises again.
I arrived home on November 15 and was straight back to Bristol on the 17th to join the lads back in training. Having missed the first two weeks of training I was keen to get back in the swing of things and see what I had missed. Having already had outdoor practice I hit the ground running but found it hard to get used to the temperatures which had been about 30 degrees warmer in India!
I am looking forward to working hard through the winter and doing all I can to improve my game and be fit and ready for next season. I believe it can be an extremely successful one for both me personally and the team.
Finally I would like to say a big thank you to Julian Wood for this wonderful opportunity and also to the Tom Maynard Trust who's financial assistance made the trip possible.
