Brisbane: After the hostile treatment meted out to the Sri Lankan team at Hobart last week, Indian players now have been warned not to be provoked and to immediately report to management any off-field trouble, Australian media reported here Tuesday.
"It is quite serious," Board of Control for Cricket in India Secretary Niranjan Shah said.
"We are keeping a close eye on the matter. We have spoken to the team management to direct the boys to stay cool," The Daily Telegraph quoted him as saying.
Harbhajan, who has faced the brunt of the jeering Australian crowds since he escaped with a fine for abusing Andrew Symonds in the Sydney Test, has been told to be wary in public.
"Players have been asked to be aware of their surroundings, look around and be alert if any mischief is waiting to happen," an Indian official said.
The developments came as India created a new war cry - "Fire or Retire" - to motivate the side to go for the jugular against Australia in the one-day series. The theme encourages India's players to come down hard on Australia and play with aggression for the rest of the summer.
"We want to be aggressive, though it doesn't have to be physically aggressive," batsman Yuvraj Singh said. "You can be aggressive with your body language."
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