Vande Mataram played ahead of Jana Gana Mana to make history in IND vs AFG 1st T20I
In a historic first, Vande Mataram was played in full ahead of the national anthem before the IND vs AFG 1st T20I at Arun Jaitley Stadium. Here's the story behind the new protocol, and how India fared on the field.
India’s national song, Vande Mataram, was played before the national anthem, Jana Gana Mana, during the opening T20I of the three-match series against Afghanistan at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi. It was the historic first time the national song was played before the national anthem at an international cricket fixture of the blue brigade at home.
India’s captain, Shreyas Iyer, won the toss and decided to bowl first in the encounter, as they left out Vaibhav Sooryavanshi from the playing XI. Their premier pacer, Jasprit Bumrah, also marked his return to the playing XI after missing the Test series against Sri Lanka.
Vande Mataram precedes the National Anthem at an International match
Many were surprised in the press box when the full six-stanza version of the Vande Mataram was played before the national anthem after the toss. That resulted in the pre-match ceremony being stretched out a bit longer. During the T20 World Cup 2026 earlier, the national song wasn’t played.
The Ministry of Home Affairs, notably, issued guidelines on January 28, prescribing the rendition of the six-stanza version of the song at the official occasion. Whenever the National Song and the National Anthem are played together, Vande Mataram will precede the Jana Gana Mana.
See Also: Why is Vaibhav Sooryavanshi not playing in IND vs AFG 1st T20I in Delhi?
At the Independence Day ceremony at the Red Fort, Vande Mataram was sung earlier. November 2025, famously, marks the 150th anniversary of India’s National Song, as it translates to ‘mother, I bow to thee.’ Composed by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee, it was first published on November 07, 1875.
India rip through Afghanistan's top order after electing to bowl first
Bumrah started the game with a wide down the leg side, which rolled on to the ropes for a boundary. Afghanistan, however, lost Rahmanullah Gurbaz for a two-ball duck and were reduced to 41/4 inside the powerplay. Azmatullah Omarzai and Mohammad Nabi recovered them with a fine partnership of 83 runs.
Arshdeep Singh ended up with figures of 3/19 in his four overs while Varun Chakravarthy returned with figures of 1/16 in four overs, along with Jasprit Bumrah’s 1/26 in four overs. Omarzai’s unbeaten knock of 64 runs off 44 balls with four boundaries and as many sixes lifted them to 156/8 in their allotted 20 overs.
Brief Scores: Afghanistan 156/8 (Azmatullah Omarzai 64*, Arshdeep Singh 3/19) vs India.
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Massive cricket lover and follower of world cricket since mid 2000s. Like to frame the game through stats and numbers. Bit old-school cricket lover, who always get encouraged by Test cricket. Questions few complex rules which baffle the new viewers of the game. Have been working as a cricket writer for more than 5 years.
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