CRICKET NEWS:INDIA HAVE written to match referee Jeff Crowe complaining about the behaviour of the Australians.

The move comes after the latest incident of a heated Test and one-day series saw Indian Ishant Sharma fined after being found guilty of aggressive behaviour.

Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Niranjan Shah confirmed a letter had been written in the wake of Sunday's one-day match.

"Basically the Australian players are starting the whole thing," Shah said.

Indian paceman Sharma pointed towards the dressing-rooms after dismissing Andrew Symonds during the match.

Shah added: "I do not want our players to get into these type of things. The whole thing is started by the Australian players"

India paceman Sharma was fined 15 per cent of his match fee for an "aggressive gesture" to Symonds.

But match referee Crowe said: "Sharma may have been provoked and this was his first offence - hence the penalty was at the lower end of the scale."

India captain Mahendra Dhoni said Sharma (19), had been provoked by Symonds. "He only reacted to what Symonds said to him," said Dhoni. "If you're getting provoked then there are ways in which you can reply, so you have to be careful about it. We have youngsters in the side who will learn all these arts."

India defeated Sri Lanka yesterday to seal their place in the best of three one-day series final against Australia.

The Test series was marred by controversy after spinner Harbhajan Singh was charged for allegedly racially abusing Symonds.

The off-spinner was later cleared of racial abuse but charged with using abusive language.

The BCCI proposed a complete ban last week on the use of offensive and abusive language at a meeting of the International Cricket Council's (ICC) chief executive's committee.

The ICC subsequently agreed to adopt a zero-tolerance approach, and Shah added: "As we put to the ICC, there should not be any abusive language or sledging. I hope the ICC will start some process to stop this before it gets out of hand, through the ICC giving more power to the umpires on the field.

"I had a chat with Australia Cricket Board chief executive John Sutherland recently and we are both concerned with it. Everybody has recognised that this type of behaviour is not wanted."

Meanwhile, three former Australian internationals have signed up for the rebel Indian Cricket League (ICL), organisers said.

Fast bowler Michael Kasprowicz and batsmen Damien Martyn and Matthew Elliott have joined up less than a week after former New Zealand wicketkeeper Adam Parore announced he is to come out of retirement to play in the lucrative league.

The ICL is bankrolled by the controllers of India's largest listed media firm but is not sanctioned by the ICC.