Batsman Jack Leaning will return to Yorkshire next March as a more rounded individual as well as a better player, according to his county coach Jason Gillespie.

The 20-year-old right-hander is spending his winter playing grade cricket with the Sutherland club in Sydney under the watchful eye of former White Rose batsman Phil Jaques, who is the club’s captain and coach.

Leaning (pictured) has previously toured with England under-19s and Yorkshire but he has never spent a full winter away from home.

This experience is something that Gillespie, the ex-Australia Test bowler, believes will stand the youngster in good stead as he looks to build on an LV= County Championship debut against Surrey and a handful of limited overs appearances in 2013.

“There is absolutely no doubt that this will be a great experience for Jack on and off the field – probably off the field most importantly,” said Gillespie.

“He will have to stand on his own two feet a little bit. He will have to learn to live and adapt in a different country. It won’t be easy but it will be very rewarding in the long run.

“I think the real beauty of it is that we’ve got this really good relationship with Phil Jaques at Sutherland, who will take Jack under his wing and introduce him around and help get him settled in. We’ve got that Yorkshire contact there.

“But knowing Phil and how he works, he will encourage Jack to be as independent as possible and really develop his game on the field. We’re really excited about this potentially being a consistent relationship between Sutherland and ourselves.”

Leaning has only played one match for Sutherland so far, a second grade match in which he scored eight opening the innings.