India players ordered to behave

Harbhajan is free to play for the rest of India's tour

The Indian cricket board has told its players to behave themselves following the row involving Harbhajan Singh.

On Tuesday, Harbhajan had a charge of racially abusing Australia's Andrew Symonds downgraded to abusive language by the International Cricket Council.

"We have told the players not to get into altercations," said Indian cricket board secretary Niranjan Shah.

India play Australia in a Twenty20 match on Friday ahead of a one-day series, which also includes Sri Lanka.

Spinner Harbhajan had been found guilty of calling Symonds, Australia's only mixed-race player, a "monkey" during the second Test in Sydney this month.

However, Tuesday's appeal hearing ruled there was not enough evidence to convict Harbhajan of racial abuse, but instead charged him with using abusive language.

Harbhajan pleaded guilty and consequently escaped a three-match suspension but he was fined half his match fee.

New Zealand judge Justice John Hansen, who considered the appeal, indicated that even if Harbhajan's accusers had proved he had made the racist remark, a ban would not have been upheld.

Hansen felt Symonds' sledging of Harbhajan had effectively removed his right to be offended.

Shah now expects the matter to be finished and is confident the controversy will not affect future India-Australia cricketing ties.

"I don't think this will have any repercussions for the future," he said.

"So many such incidents have happened in the past, there have been heated exchanges in the middle and teams have gone on from there."