Hobart, Feb 25 The Indian cricket team has filed a written complaint with Match Referee Jeff Crowe about the provocative behaviour of Ricky Ponting's men and threatened to take a "befitting action" if it was repeated in future.

Young fast bowler Ishant Sharma this morning was docked 15 per cent of his match fee for finger-pointing a departing, abrasive Andrew Symonds from the middle in yesterday's tri-series game.

It led the Indians to draft a strongly-worded letter to Crowe in which they have mentioned specific incidents of "provocation" by the Australians.

"We accept the match referee's decision for Ishant to have transgressed the Level 1.6 ICC Code of Conduct," Indian team manager Vimal Soni said, adding "we also wanted him to have a look at the provocation which Australians have been repeatedly providing in the series." "Much has happened in recent past and we didn't want to open up old wounds by making a complaint against the Australians. But we have mentioned specific incidents in the letter to match referee," he said.

The specific incidents, it is learnt, concerned the repeated jabbering which Ponting reportedly kept directing at Harbhajan Singh in yesterday's game as well as left-handed opener Matthew Hayden being accused of constantly calling Harbhajan a "mad boy. (Agencies)