KINGSTON, Jamaica, CMC:
JAMAICA AND West Indies offspinning allrounder Gareth Breese has hailed former India cricket captain Bishen Bedi for volunteering to help him improve his game while on tour of India recently.
Former left-arm orthodox spinner Bedi, 56, offered his services to Breese after India completed a 2-0 win in the three-match series at Chennai from October 17 to 20 and Breese said that he hopes to use the tips gained from the great Indian to good advantage.
"It's up to me now to use what he has told me to good advantage," Breese said on the sports discussion programme Scoreboard on KLAS radio on Tuesday.
"We went through a few technical and tactical points and I really appreciate him volunteering his time. He did not highlight too many of my weaknesses, but he did make a lot of sense in the sessions we had," said Breese.
The diminutive allrounder, who had a best of two for 108 in his sole Test, said he was pleasantly surprised when he got a message while in the team's dressing room, that someone outside wanted to see him.
"When I went outside it was him and he told me what he intended to do. It was a good feeling," Breese said of the Sikh who had a Test career which spanned 13 years between 1966 and 1979. In 67 Tests he claimed 266 wickets at an average of 28-71.
Breese, the vice captain of the Jamaica team, said that the experience of playing Test cricket was "great" and he hoped to be on future West Indies teams.
"It's been good. My teammates supported me well when I played my first Test and that also helped my game," Breese said.
He said that he was not put off by the fact that it was an Indian great and not a West Indian who volunteered to help him.
"Not really. We need to put things in context, (former West Indies spinner) Lance Gibbs helped me during a camp in the Leeward Islands and I learn also from (West Indies coach) Roger Harper, so there are people who play several roles," said Breese.
