India-Australia series last with current laws

Australia's limited-overs tour of India will not be affected by the new rules that change how international cricket is played and which come into force this month.

An update to the way the Decision Review System operates, restrictions on the size of bats and a change to a controversial rule around run-outs are among the key changes that come into effect from the start of Bangladesh's tour of South Africa.

But the overlapping five-match ODI and three-game T20 series between India and Australia will continue to be played under the existing playing conditions for international cricket.

The rules were due to come into effect from October 1, but with the first South Africa v Bangladesh Test starting on September 28 in Potchefstroom to overlap that date, their introduction was brought forward.

India host Australia for the fourth ODI in Bengaluru on the same day. With both matches due to start at 6pm AEST, cricket will see two internationals scheduled to start at the exact same time being played under vastly different playing conditions.

But Australia's ODI tour starts with a first international in Chennai on September 17, and only the fifth and final ODI – in Nagpur – falls in October.

"The ICC has decided to put the new rules into use from series starting on 28 September so that they do not change midway through a series," an ICC spokesperson told cricket.com.au.

One of the key changes long awaited by batters has been the elimination of the 'bouncing bat' run out, whereby a player that has dived and made their ground is still given out if their bat 'bounces' above the turf at the crucial moment the bails are broken.

There have been several instances of it in recent times, most recently India batsman Rohit Sharma was run out in this fashion against Pakistan in the Champions Trophy in June.

Should the same misfortune strike a batsman in the India-Australia series, they would be dismissed, but a similar even in the South Africa v Bangladesh Test would see the batsman ruled not out.

And although Australia's three 20-over matches against India are a different format, the ICC considers them to be part of the same series, and they too will therefore be played under the current rules.

The final 20-over match will be played on October 13 in Hyderabad, the home of David Warner's IPL franchise Sunrisers.

That match will mark the final hurrah of the era of 'big bats' with David Warner's 85mm deep Kaboom bat to have its last outing in front of fans intimately familiar with his 20-over prowess.

The new restrictions mandate dimensions for international bats of a maximum depth of 67mm with 40mm edges.

A bat gauge will be used to ensure the new limits are enforced in professional matches, while there will be a "moratorium period" for amateur cricketers, who will be allowed to continue wielding their existing blades that are in breach of the new rules.

Image Id: 9866EC65D86D4C4A8E297A73FCF719B6 Image Caption: Barry Richards with a bat he used, and the modern 'Kaboom' // Getty

The changes – which also paved the way for all nations to start trialling concussion substitutes in first-class cricket, a measure that will feature in this year's Sheffield Shield – came after the Marylebone Cricket Club wrote a new Code of Laws to reflect the changing nature of the game.

The update to the Code of Laws is the first major rewrite in 17 years, and the changes were approved the ICC's influential Cricket Committee earlier this year.

Key changes to ICC Playing Conditions

• DRS to be available in T20 internationals
• Teams will not lose a review for "umpire's call" lbw decisions
• No more DRS reviews top-up after 80 overs in Test cricket
• Umpires have power to dismiss players from field for serious misconduct
• Restrictions on thickness of edges and total depth of bat enforced
• The 'bouncing bat' run-out eliminated from the game
• Concussion substitution trials green-lighted for first-class cricket

Australia's Qantas Tour of India

Australia ODI squad: Steve Smith (c), David Warner, Ashton Agar, Hilton Cartwright, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Patrick Cummins, James Faulkner, Aaron Finch, Travis Head, Glenn Maxwell, Kane Richardson, Marcus Stoinis, Matthew Wade, Adam Zampa.

Australia T20 squad: Steve Smith (c), David Warner, Jason Behrendorff, Dan Christian, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Patrick Cummins, Aaron Finch, Travis Head, Moises Henriques, Glenn Maxwell, Tim Paine, Kane Richardson, Adam Zampa.

India squad: TBC

First ODI - MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai, September 17

Second ODI - Eden Gardens, Kolkata, September 21

Third ODI - Holkar Cricket Stadium, Indore, September 24

Fourth ODI - M.Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru, September 28

Fifth ODI - Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium, Nagpur, October 1

First T20 - JSCA International Stadium, Ranchi, October 7

Second T20 - Barsapara Stadium, Guwahati, October 10

Third T20 - Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad, October 13