Australia pin hopes on Warne to boost India ties

MELBOURNE (AFP) - Cricketing legend Shane Warne has been drawn into Australia's efforts to strengthen ties with India following a spate of attacks on Indian students.

Shane Warne has been drawn into Australia's efforts to strengthen ties with India following attacks on Indian students (© AFP/File - Chris Ratcliffe)

Diplomatic tensions between the countries have mounted following the unsolved murder of 21-year-old Punjab man Nitin Garg in Melbourne earlier this month and officials hope Warne's spin offensive can help improve relations.

"It might be a friendly cricket game. It might be that he does some work for us in India, in terms of just stating the case about what a great place Victoria is, what a great place Australia is," Victorian Premier John Brumby said Monday.

"He is highly regarded, he is much loved in India, and he has got a great sense of the Australian psyche, so I think these two things can come together and we'll see what we can make out of it to strengthen that Australia-India relationship."

Australian police have acknowledged that crimes against Indians have been rising in Victoria state over the past 18 months but say the majority are motivated by opportunistic theft rather than racial prejudice.

Two more Indian students were assaulted in Melbourne late Monday, with one taken to hospital with cuts to his ear.

Police said they have arrested eight people over the incident in which the victims, aged 18 and 22, were approached by a group of about 10 people and pushed or punched to the ground.