Australia denied advantage of new rules

From the version of events relayed by Aaron Finch, it has emerged that Australia weren't allowed the advantage of ICC's new playing conditions for shortened games even though DRS - part of T20Is only under the new playing conditions - was in play in Ranchi.

According to the new playing conditions which came into effect on September 28, DRS would now be used in T20 Internationals in addition to Tests and ODIs. They also state that in a game "reduced to less than 10 overs, the maximum quota of overs per bowler shall not be less than two: meaning that if a match is reduced to five overs a side, two bowlers will be able to bowl two overs each."

But this was not the case on Saturday despite the chase being cut to six overs. While three Australia bowlers could have bowled a maximum of two overs each under the new rules, only one - Nathan Coulter-Nile - was allowed to do that. Four others - debutant Jason Beherendoff, Andrew Tye, Adam Zampa and Dan Christian - sent down one over each.

Finch acknowledged it was strange that the rules were "mixed and matched" for the series. "I didn't know there was a review system until about the fifth over. Nobody did," he said at the post-match interaction. "Steve Smith, when he ran out a drink, mentioned it. So, we had to ask the umpires. But it is quite strange to have a crossover of rules for this series. I mean bat sizes and things like that are coming in at the end of the series. The over situation with a shortened game - three bowlers being allowed to bowl two overs - but DRS was in for this. It didn't have any effect on the game. I just thought it was quite odd to have mixed and matched the rules for this series."

Shikhar Dhawan, who arrived for India's press conference, admitted to being in the dark as well. "I'm sure they [Australia] would have felt the inconsistency," he said. "But whatever is the rule, is the rule. I'm not exactly aware of the rule you were talking about. But, it is what it is."

Some of the confusion may have risen because the new rules weren't in operation in the ODI series between India and Australia because it had begun before the roll-out date. The ICC had taken the decision to avoid the discrepancy of playing a few games by the old rules and a few by the new ones.