India’s rearguard action against the Aussies in the 3rd Test match at Sydney was one for the ages. They completely defied all odds which was stacked against them. Their players were injured, their batters were bruised but they didn’t give up. This determination from the Indians flustered the Aussies no end. This resulted in them getting flustered. The cameras had caught Steve Smith changing Rishabh Pant’s batting guard. While the cricketing world came down heavily on Smith for his actions, the Aussies strangely seem to be backing their main batsman.

Also Read | IND vs AUS: Five Times When Australians Were Caught Cheating In The Past

Steve Smith found support from coach Justin Langer:

Steve Smith who was Australian’s captain during the sandpaper gate scandal was the center of another controversy during the 3rd Test at Sydney. The clips which caught Smith gave an impression that the Australian was deliberately interfering with Pant’s batting guard. But Smith had got the benefit of the doubt since he is often known for his quirks, including shadow batting while fielding. Australian coach Justin Langer stood strong by his star batsman, Steve Smith. He strongly denied that Steve Smith was guilty of changing Pant’s batting guard.

Also Read | IND vs AUS: Justin Langer Blames The IPL For The Injury-laden Down Under Series

Langer was quoted saying, “As for Steve Smith, I literally cannot believe some of the rubbish I’ve read — an absolute load of rubbish.” The Australian coach went on to add that, “I mean, anyone who knows Steve Smith, he is a bit quirky… and we have all laughed about it for the last couple of years. What Steve Smith does at the crease he does it probably most games, he’s just thinking about the game. Anyone who suggests for one millisecond he was trying to do something untoward, they’re way out of line. On that wicket, that was that flat, and it was like concrete, you’d need 15-inch spikes to make an indent on the crease and he went nowhere near the crease.” He felt the whole blame which Smith copped was pretty ludicrous.

Captain Tim Paine backs Smith:

Smith found support from captain Tim Paine too. Paine stated that “I have spoken to Steve about this, and I know he’s really disappointed with the way it’s come across. He was certainly not changing guard, and I’d imagine if he was then the Indian players would have kicked up a bit of a stink at the time. When he’s in the field, he likes to walk up to where he bats and visualize how he’s going to play. That’s something I have seen Steve do many times.”

Also Read | The Rise And Fall Of India’s Great Mahendra Singh Dhoni

Former Australian Bowler is worried for Steve Smith:

While former Australian bowler Shane Lee admitted that even though Steve Smith is not a cheat but he seems to be pretty angry lately. He is worried that Steve Smith might find himself in a similar incident like the sandpaper gate scandal of 2018. He has urged Cricket Australia (CA) to look after their champion batsman, Steve Smith.