SCG staff swept and repainted batting crease before Steve Smith scuffed it
Image Credit: shortpedia
However, a fresh video has surfaced on the internet which clears that Steve Smith wasn’t removing Pant’s guard. The video which was found on Twitter shows that the ground staff of SCG was sweeping the area near the crease with hard brooms before Steve Smith walked towards it and started shadow batting. Considering this, we can say that when he arrived there, Pant’s guard was already gone because of the scuffing.