"But that is something I have seen Steve doing many a times in Test matches and Shield games that I have played with him, when he is in the field, he likes to sort of walk up to where he bats and visualise how is he going to play," Paine elaborated. Paine said given how this has been perceived, especially by cricket fans online, there would be reconsideration. "...There is no way in the world, he was trying to change Rishabh Pant's guard or anything like that. That is just one of Smithy's thing that he does, now that it has come up like it is, again it is something he might need to look at because of the perception of it," stressed Paine.

After the video emerged, Smith faced criticism on social media by fans and former India opener Virender Sehwag. "One of his mannerisms, as I said he does a lot, he was marking sand and he wasn't by any stretch of imagination trying to change guard or do anything like that," reiterated Paine. In the 2018, Smith was involved in the ball-tampering scandal that took place during the third Test match against South Africa in Cape Town. Subsequently, Smith, along with then vice-captain David Warner, was banned for 12 months from international and domestic cricket. He was replaced by Paine as the Australian captain.

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