The 30-year-old Shillingford, who attended a clinic conducted by the former Pakistani off-spinner, said he gained much-needed confidence after the stint with Saqlain.
"Working with Saqi (Saqlain) made me mentally tougher in terms of self-belief that he really emphasised on," said Shillingford, who picked up four India wickets, including that of retiring Sachin Tendulkar, conceding 130 runs on the second day of the first cricket Test.
"I really enjoyed every moment of bowling there. Saqi used to think much about preparation before a Test match and that's what I took from him when he was at the spinning camp," he said.
"When we first got to the spinning camp on the first day, he was telling me about my doosra and stuff and how I bowled it. So we went to the nets and tried out a few things. And he himself went out and bowled," the offie from Dominica.
"The way he gripped is very difficult because his joints are different. But he definitely taught me a lot in terms of controlling it," he said.