Andrew Symonds is one Australian cricketer set to honour his IPL contract with little fear after revealing he felt far safer in India than South Africa.

On a day Symonds admitted he still regretted signing the strict behaviour agreement he broke in England last year, leading to his Cricket Australia dismissal, the former Test allrounder said he was keen to help Deccan defend their IPL title.

The Twenty20 tournament starts March 12 and the Australian Cricket Association and CA are waiting on a report tabled by security expert Reg Dickason next week before advising players of the current threats posed by al-Qaeda-linked militants.

Symonds told a Queensland Cricket luncheon on Thursday he expected to line up for his Hyderabad-based team and would feel more comfortable in India than in South Africa, where the Chargers triumphed last year.

“I haven’t heard a great deal as yet but India is one of those countries I’ve never felt intimidated, even when the crowd gets a bit uppity,” said Symonds, a victim of racial taunts while playing for Australia in India in 2007.

“I’ve always felt I was more likely to be shot or stabbed in South Africa.

“I’ve never felt like that in India. At this stage I’ll be going.”

Australian Test great and former India coach Greg Chappell hoped international players wouldn’t be scared off by the Kashmiri terrorist threats aimed at foreigners.

“You have to be concerned about it, I don’t think you can afford not to,” Chappell said

“But Indians in general are not confrontational people, I found them very open and friendly.

“It would be a shame if sport was cowered by these type of people.”

West Indies captain Chris Gayle on Thursday also said he was untroubled by the latest threats and was confident he’d play for the Kolkata Knight Riders.

Symonds, who has employed his junior batting mentor Ashleigh `Toot’ Byron as his personal coach to prepare for the IPL, was inducted in Queensland’s 100-game club in Brisbane.

The 34-year-old has only played T20 matches for Queensland since being sent home from England last June for breaking team rules.

Symonds felt he copped an overly harsh punishment for enjoying a few beers while watching a rugby league State of Origin match, contrary to an agreement he signed prohibiting him from drinking outside the team environment.

“I’m not bitter about it at all, it was just a tough environment to live in for myself,” he said.

“I did a few silly things to get in that position, (but) if I had my time again I never would have signed the agreement to get back into that (Australian one-day) side.

“It’s the one regret I do have, I never should have signed that agreement.

“Playing, I did enjoy but at some point it was going to boil over. It was the straw that broke the camel’s back.”

© AAP 2012

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