More than three months after the game was distrupted due to coronavirus pandemic, swashbuckling Australian batsman Steve Smith has finally taken the first step towards returning to action by hitting the nets on Monday.

The 31-year-old took to his official Instagram account and shared the photo from his first training session following a three-month hiatus.

Along with the picture, Smith also quipped that he 'remembered' how to hold the bat even after the forced break.

"First hit in the nets in 3 months. Good news... I remembered how to hold the bat," the former Australian skipper wrote.

The first ODI between Australia and New Zealand on March 13 was the last international match before cricket was distrupted due to the novel virus.

Australia are slated to play their first Test of the revamped Future Tour Program (FTP) against Afghanistan in November, which will be followed by the four-match Border-Gavaskar Trophy against India in December.

Meanwhile, the ICC World Cup 2020, which is scheduled to play in Australia from October 18 to November 15, 2020, is currently under cloud because of the pandemic.

Smith, who is currently ranked the No.1 batsman in the world at the moment in the Test cricket, was all set to lead Rajasthan Royals in the 2020 IPL which was slated to take place from March 29 to May 24. However, the tournament was  postponed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) indefinitely in the wake of COVID-19 pandemic.