Can an Indian H1b holder claim Standard Deduction under tax-treaty when the person changes visa status from F-1 to H-1B?

I was on F-1 OPT from January 1 to September 30, 2017, and my status changed to H-1b from Oct 01. Under Article 21(2) of India-US Tax treaty, a student (F1) can claim a standard deduction of $6350. I have been getting contrasting answers on various blogs, as well as reputed tax agencies like Sprintax/TurboTax and HR Block. I contacted IRS directly, and the lady declined to answer this question and asked me to schedule an in-person appointment for the same! Ridiculous!

I did look at a similar question posted on redbus few years back, but there were no answers to that thread.

I want to know how the people used the treaty benefits in prior years. Thank You.