NEW DELHI: Stand-in skipper Steve Smith's hand gesture became a major talking point during the recently concluded Ashes series, which Australia won comprehensively by 4–1.

Smith's latest on-field mannerism was first noticed during the second Test in Brisbane, when he gestured towards England pacer Jofra Archer after striking him for a boundary.

The Australia batter was seen repeating the same gesture while batting against Brydon Carse in the fifth and final Test at the SCG.

When asked about the gesture during the post-match press conference following Australia's series win, Smith brushed it off, saying it was just one of the many random things he tends to do on the field.

"I'm not giving signals to anyone, it's to myself actually," he smiled.

"It's how I know my hand is on the bat, particularly when I play a straight drive or an on drive, it's how I want my hand to be on the bat with my right hand and how I use it.

"I do it a bit, it's just a thing that I do, like all the other random things. It's just another one of those, you just seem to pick up on it a bit more maybe."

Smith enjoyed a productive series with the bat, amassing 286 runs at an average of 57.20. The highlight of his campaign came on his home ground at the SCG, where he struck a century after having missed the Adelaide Test earlier in the series due to illness.

Reflecting on the conditions, Smith heaped praise on the SCG surface, describing it as among the best pitches he has played on during his 15-year association with the venue.

"I think it offered a bit for everyone, the new ball worked a bit, if you batted well and applied yourself you could score runs and then the rough came into play at the back end and there was some cracks there as well," he said.

"It went to day five, almost to the last session, I think it was a really good wicket."