Legendary spinners Erapalli Prasanna and Bhagwat Chandrasekhar urged India's current crop of slow bowlers to get rid of the mental block that kookuburra balls, with their less pronounced seam, would hinder their wicket-taking ability.
Welcoming the Board of Control for Cricket in India's move to use the Australian-made kookuburras in domestic cricket, Prasanna said if the country nurtured hopes of winning international tournaments, including the World Cup, the players must be trained to perform in similar conditions.
"If India's aim is to win the 2007 World Cup, our spinners will have to master the art with the kookuburra," the 66-year-old off-spinner, who took 189 wickets in 49 Tests in the 1960-70s, said.
"It is a matter of getting used to the conditions. If kookuburra balls are used throughout the world, should we also not follow suit? "It will definitely be for the good of the Indian spinners, though it may not help them most compared to the pace bowlers." Chandrasekhar, who with Prasanna, Bishan Singh Bedi and S Venkataraghavan formed the famous 'Spin Quartet', was more forthright.
"It is a question of whether you are playing against a weak batting side or weak bowling side," the 61-year "The art of spin bowling is that one should be able to bowl with any kind of ball, whether SG or the imported kookuburra balls.
"If I am playing today, I will accept the Board's decision. I will not bother about what kind of ball is given to me to bowl," Chandrasekhar said.
The BCCI has said the kookuburra, which has the tendency to swing more and become softer than Indian-made SG balls, will be used in the Duleep Trophy matches from the 2006-07 season.
"No doubt it is a great advantage to the batsmen and the pace bowlers. But a spinner has to bring coordination of his mind and bowling arm while releasing the ball," Prasanna said.
"Has not Anil Kumble been able to adjust to different balls and remain match winner for his county Surrey in England?" Leggie Chandra, who picked 242 wickets in 58 Tests with his whippy action, also said that the bowlers would benefit from the use of kookuburra in the "long run".
"If I take only a couple of wickets in the first four or five matches, I am sure I will be able to claim six wickets in the sixth match. It will definitely help the Indian spinners in the long run," he said.
