Every batter has his or her own style of play. Some, however, tend to craft a style that makes them stand out. Steve Smith is one such batter who is known for his peculiar playing style. Be it his movement in the crease, gestures or the act of giving a 'thumbs up' to bowlers on getting beaten, Smith has created a unique personality for himself. After Australia great Allan Border called Smith's thumbs-up gesture 'ridiculous', wicket-keeper batter Alex Carey has reacted.

In the first Test against India in Nagpur, Smith was often seen giving thumbs up to bowlers while batting. Disappointed by the former Australia captain, Border called the idea 'ridiculous'.

"Play with a harder edge. I mean, we're giving blokes the thumbs up when they're beating us outside the off stump," Border had said. "What the hell is going on? That is just ridiculous. Don't go stupid, but Australia play hard nose cricket. We're even giving someone thumbs up ... bloody hell"

In a chat with the Sydney Morning Herald, Carey backed Steve Smith, suggesting these are the sort of acts that help the latter focus on the game.

"We highly respect Allan Border," Carey said. "I guess among the group, guys do it differently. We come up against these players a lot.

"You're probably alluding to the Steve Smith comment more than any but, you know, he's mates with a lot of them. And that's the way he [Smith] plays. He does it in all situations. He plays around with his hands and does all that stuff. And I think that's probably what gets him pretty focused. They're obviously strong comments but, as a group, we believe in what we're doing and come the second Test we're ready to put a few learnings into place," he added.