Warne says Smith was important to his plans in Rajasthan Royals.
"He's another captain to bounce ideas off," he said.
"When I am bowling, he's someone to keep an eye on the field. When I'm talking to a bowler he's making sure the best fielders are in the right spots. For us, being in South Africa and having the captain of South Africa in our side is a huge advantage," Warne was quoted as saying in South African media Tuesday.
Warne said Smith has matured as a captain.
"We had a few beers after the first game and chatted about a lot of stuff," he said.
"We hung out a fair bit. We've kept in touch since then and become good buddies. They have done well. He came in at a young age and wanted to try and mix it. He didn't want to take a backward step. He learned a lot about himself and how things work. He's matured into a good captain."
Warne also said his views on international coaching had not changed even years after his controversial rift with John Buchanan, the former Australia coach.
He maintained that "captains should always run the cricket. At international level I don't think you need a coach. At domestic level you need a coach."
"The only reason I'm coach is because the Royals don't really have a coach," he said.
"I am just the captain, really. I've got two assistants who do a good job in Darren Berry and Jeremy Snape. Darren looks after practice while I get around and speak to individuals and Snapey floats around, helps guys prepare and does some one-on-one stuff."
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