DOM BESS had a sizeable task on his hands during the winter when bowling to the likes of Virat Kohli, Cheteshwar Pujara and co.

Now, he has another to occupy his time - performing as Yorkshire’s number one spinner.

Bess made a quietly impressive debut as a full-time White Rose player in the LV= Insurance County Championship draw against Glamorgan at Emerald Headingley, going wicketless but controlling the run-rate and scoring a crucial 38 not out to help save the follow-on.

The 23-year-old off-spinning all-rounder was the county’s marquee signing ahead of 2021, joining from Somerset on a four-year contract.

“I’ve been backed by Yorkshire - Steve Patterson, Andrew Gale and Martyn Moxon - in terms of coming up here. It’s now up to me to deliver,” he said. “Whatever that looks like day in and day out, and in and around the club, is something I’m really looking forward to.”

Bess will readily admit his winter away with England’s Test squad in Sri Lanka and India wasn’t plain sailing by any means, despite taking 17 wickets in four matches.

He was left out of the second and third Tests in India amidst suggestions he wasn’t bowling at his best, and there was the mental aspect of dealing with that disappointment while isolated from friends and family amid bubble life.

Despite that, Bess maintains glass-half-full approach.

“I can only see massive positives from this winter,” he said.

“If I lay down the facts now, as a 23-year-old going to the sub-continent, having expectations on you and on yourself, I perhaps didn’t impact games the way I would want to at times. But I did impact upon games for England.”

Bess claimed eight wickets in England’s opening winter Test against Sri Lanka in Galle, including a 5-30. Four more wickets followed in the second Test before five in the memorable series opening win over India in Chennai. After that, he was left out for the second and third Tests before returning for the fourth.

But returning to his optimistic outlook, Bess said: “I’m 23 and was sat there watching and playing against Ashwin, who is 33 or 34 playing in his own conditions. I was visually seeing how he goes about it,” he explained.

“It was a pleasure to be there and learn.”

Bess has spoken honestly to Test captain and new county colleague Joe Root about his omission in India, as he has to coach Chris Silverwood.

“I understand where I stand with it all,” he explained. “I certainly feel backed from these guys, who gave me good feedback in terms of what I need to do. That’s all I can ask for, that consistent feedback.

“I know Rooty, Spoons (Silverwood) and the whole team back me in terms of the longer process. I have to buy into that.”