Tymal Mills plans to give batsmen nightmares as he roars in and bowls at 90mph.

It will make a change from pretending to be asleep and dreaming about cricket as the television cameras roll.

The Sussex Sharks paceman is over his injury woes and back in the thick of in the NatWest T20 Blast after an IPL adventure which was an eye-opener on and off the pitch.

Injury struck midway through his campaign for the Royal Challengers of Bangalore, who had bought him for £1.4 million at auction.

But he loved the frenzied excitement of the big league in India and believes lessons learned there and elsewhere during his globetrotting year can only help Sussex.

An ongoing back problem means Mills, who signed a new contract at Sussex recently, only plays the shortest format.

But he is making an international career out of it and seeing the world.

He told The Argus: “India was good – but frustrating because I got injured halfway through, which was annoying. It was crazy but a good experience and one I’m very grateful for.

“I was pleased with how I did when I played. I only played the first five games but it was a mad experience.

“You find yourself with a lot more media commitments and sponsors.

“You are filming TV adverts and you find yourself in photo shoots that go up on billboards.

“You have something to fit in around your training every day.

“I was in a TV advert where I had to pretend to be asleep on a mattress.

“I was supposed to be dreaming about bowling and that made national TV. You obviously don’t get that over here.”

True enough. But the big names and the buzz were pretty special in the opening home T20 last year.

That was when Mills steamed down the slope and topped 93mph as he clean bowled Chris Gayle in a televised win over Somerset.

“It was a good night for the club, not just myself,” he said.

The Argus:

Tymal Mills enjoys the win over Somerset last year. Picture by Edward Thomas

“I still try and bowl fast when I get that new ball in my hand. Nothing has changed there.”

It was moments like which led Sussex director of cricket Keith Greenfield to talk about “the X factor” when Mills agreed his new deal.

“I was keen to get it done,” the player himself said. "Grubby (Greenfield) messaged me when I was out in India so we got that sorted pretty quickly. It didn’t take too much negotiation.

“My contract was due to expire at the end of this summer and I was definitely keen to extend. The club have done right by me since I have joined.

“I’m only able to play T20s but the club have been great around that.

“I was keen to put those extra two years on my contract and that takes us up to whatever happens with the new T20 competition.”

It wasn’t supposed to work out anything like this. Mills had Test match ambitions when he joined Sussex.

That back problem forced him down a new avenue and he is now a T20 England international while using his explosive white-ball skills for a range of franchises around the world.

“Providing I get the gigs it can work out really well,” he said of his calendar.

“I got back from India at the end of May. The end of May and start of June was quite a chilled time.

“I ramp it up a bit later in June and play for Sussex in July and August.

“September and October is pretty quiet. I get some time off.

“Then, in November, the new South African tournament is starting, which I’m in the draft for. End of December and January, you’ve got the Big Bash in Australia.

“I was in the PSL last February so we will see what happens there and then it’s March off and April and May in the IPL.

“If I stay fit and healthy, that is how a year could look.

“Of course I didn’t ever envisage things happening how they have when I signed for Sussex three years ago now.

“I came down here with the intention of playing in all forms of cricket.

“Things changed but I’m very lucky in how they have changed.

“It is still difficult with my body and managing what I do but hopefully I can do this for as long as possible.”

Mills missed England’s recent T20 series win over South Africa and early fixtures for Sharks but returned at the Ageas Bowl on Thursday.

He said: “I still pick up injuries like all bowlers do – ankles, knees and what not.

“I was pretty good all winter and then I got to the IPL and, halfway through, I think maybe all the travel and playing caught up with me a little bit.

“I just wasn’t able to shake off a few niggles. It’s the type of competition you don’t want to play in at 70% because you will get exposed.

“But the team management were good. They didn’t want me to play unless I was 100% ready and unfortunately I wasn’t quite able to get there.”

Mills could make his home bow for 2017 when Kent visit today and he believes he has improved since he last trod the Hove turf.

He said: “During the winter I played 40-plus T20 games and I can read batters better now. I am a bit smarter about how I go about things on the pitch.

“But that just comes from experience. If you play all those games against some of the best players in the world and don’t improve, then you have got to look at yourself.”

Boundless is the new shirt sponsors for Sussex Cricket’s NatWest T20 Blast competition.Boundless, a membership organisation which helps Civil Servants and Public Sector workers get the most out of their free time. For more information visit www.boundless.co.uk.