SPORTING legends have condemned the Australian team's behaviour as India confirmed that they will continue the fiery Test series - with conditions.
The Indian cricket board announced in New Delhi early today that Anil Kumble's side will resume their suspended tour of Australia but will continue to protest at the three-Test ban on Harbhajan for racial abuse.
And the BCCI laid the condition that Harbhajan should eventually be cleared of the charge and a three-match ban imposed by the International Cricket Council dropped.
As moves started to defuse the Indian tour crisis yesterday, Sport Australia Hall of Fame members John Bertrand, Herb Elliott and Rob de Castella accused the Australians of turning sport into war.
Bertrand, the Hall of Fame chairman, said the organisation would seek an urgent meeting with Cricket Australia this week. He said the Australian Test team was damaging international relations.
"Sport is only sport. It's not war," Bertrand told the Herald Sun. "We believe Australia's Test team moral compass needs to be retuned and we want Cricket Australia to know that."
India's tour appeared to get back on track last night when the International Cricket Council caved in to the tourists' demands by clearing the way for suspended spinner Harbhajan Singh to play in next week's third Test in Perth, dumping umpire Steve Bucknor, and appointing chief match referee Ranjan Madugalle as mediator between the warring sides.
Ricky Ponting's team was slammed for bad sportsmanship after they snatched a thrilling victory in the second Test in Sydney on the weekend.
The final straw for India came when Harbhajan was banned for three Tests for racist abuse against Andrew Symonds.
He denied calling Symonds a "monkey" and India threatened to go home.
The ICC yesterday indicated Harbhajan's appeal would not be heard before the Perth Test, which would clear him to play.
ICC chief executive Malcolm Speed admitted the dumping of umpire Bucknor, who made a number of poor decisions that fuelled Indian anger, was an attempt to pacify India.
"We want to take some of the tension out of the situation," he said.
Bertrand said Elliott, de Castella other Hall of Famers shared his view that Australia was too arrogant.
"Both Rob and Herb feel very strongly about this issue," he said.
"We will be seeking a meeting with Cricket Australia to seek to get the Australian team to readjust their behaviour so that they do show respect for their opponents."
"We have a lot of clout in the sporting community and we will be saying to Cricket Australia that people need to step back and reassess what is happening here with a cool head," Bertrand said.
"The pressure to win out on the field has become too hot, and that pressure is all about winning at all costs. That is not what sport is about.
"We believe the No.1 rule is to show respect for your fellow competitors and currently this does not appear to be the case.
"Their desire to win at all costs is beginning to blur their moral compass and it would appear that is what happening to the Australian Test team.
"The fallout that we are seeing at the moment is not acceptable. It's clearly damaging international relations and clearly a lot of people are upset."
The Sport Australia Hall of Fame has almost 500 members and prides itself on supporting athletes in all sports.
Cricket great Sir Donald Bradman was its first inductee in 1985. The Don award is given each year to the sportsperson considered to have most inspired the nation.
Several other top sporting figures also expressed their concern about the Aussie Test team.
Footy legend Ron Barassi said Australia should be the world leader in all aspects of the game.
"I'm very concerned the word unsportsmanlike is being thrown around in relation to the cricket, and there is a fine line between arrogance and confidence," he said.
"It concerns me that the Australians are regularly being referred to as being arrogant and because it is mentioned so often, you begin to wonder."
Kevin Bartlett, another AFL legend, said he defined bad sportsmanship as not showing respect to your opponents.
"You don't treat them with contempt, you treat them with respect -- and I didn't see that from the Aussies," he said.
Australia's national netball coach Jill McIntosh said the Aussies were a "little arrogant".
"It worries me that the Australian cricket teams of recent times have been called the worst sledgers in the game. Why don't they just rely on their skills?" she said.
"They don't need to sledge. They are an incredibly skilled team."
