Bedi looked remarkably youthful in his late 50 plus frame as he painted scenes from his playing days to the avid Australians, who lapped up the knowledge from the master at the MRF Pace Foundation on Monday. The Australians -- batsmen Matthew Elliot, Mathew Hayden, Di Venuto, left-arm spinners Daniel Marsh, Jamie Stewart and Brad Oldroyd, off-spinners Paul Sutherland and Marcus North -- are here in the city to learn from Bedi and the multi-faceted S. Venkatraghavan the art of spinning at the Pace Foundation, which has a tie-up with Australian Cricket Academy and which is co-ordinating the one-week programme when the AustralianBoard sought its help.

Venkatraghavan, taught Sutherland and North the nuances of off-spin and showed his trainees how fit and accurate he still is by harrying Mathew Elliot with his tantalising spin. ``Elliot was not coming on top of the ball or allowing the ball to reach him. He is opening up to early,'' said Bedi.

Bedi corrected the grip of the left-arm spinners, who were keeping the fingers wide apart, and showed how to bowl the arm ball and the importance of pivoting. ``I am going to enjoy this assignment. All are jolly good fellows. I think they enjoyed the session. Rodney Marsh's son is very good,'' said Bedi, who brought his 15-year-old son and left-arm spinner Angad along with him.

``We were talking the basics. I wanted to create fun and enjoyment in learning. I told them the importance of spinning the ball. A spinner cannot knock the head off the batsmen. He can only outthink or outwit the batsmen. But the modern spinners are just firing the ball in. Picking up wickets is immaterial to them.They merely want to return figures of 10-0-36-0. I think it is a negative theory. It's a negative thing to get into the system. A good ball is a good ball at any level of cricket.''

``The main problem with we Indians is that we don't have bowlers who are capable of taking five wickets in an innings. Mind you, taking five wickets in an innings is the ultimate,'' Bedi said.

The former Indian captain demonstrated changing of grip while in motion when bowling the arm ball. ``The arm ball requires use of shoulder and fair amount of deceit. While a fast bowler uses explosive energy, a spinner has to do lot of brain work. The brain has to tick all the time,'' Bedi said.

Curiously, red and white balls were put in use. ``It is to see whether the bowler is spinning the ball,'' Venkat said.

Bedi had a parting shot at the BCCI. ``The ACB's programme shows the farsightedness of it. I don't know why such a thing does not occur to our cricket board. Before Raj Singh Dungarpur took over, some 12 crores were earmarkedfor establishing an academy. But till today they haven't even found a place,'' he said.