India opener Rohit Sharma said that Steve Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft’s careers were great players despite their transgressions and should not be judged by the ball-tampering incident.

Reacting to the video of Smith being escorted at the airport and his subsequent emotional press conference in Sydney, Rohit tweeted a statement arguing that the video resonated with him.

“The video of Steve Smith being escorted at the airport and his most recent press conference resonated with me,” Rohit wrote on Twitter. “The spirit of the game is of utmost importance there’s no denying that. They made a mistake and they accepted it. It would be unfair of me to sit here and question the board’s decision but they are great players and I don’t think this should define them,” Rohit added.

Rohit’s India teammate, Jasprit Bumrah also tweeted a cryptic message urging his followers to not judge individuals only on the basis of what they have done wrong, but to also focus on what they have done right.

Cricket Australia on Wednesday banned Smith and Warner for a period of 12 months while Bancroft was suspended for nine months for their involvement in the incident during the third Test against South Africa.