All-Time First: Vande Mataram bowled before Jana Gana Mana in IND vs AFG 1st T20I

India’s national song, Vande Mataram, was played before the national anthem Jan Gana Mana at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi before the start of the first of the three-match T20I series against Afghanistan on Sunday 13 September. It was the first time that the national song was played before the national anthem in an international match of a cricket team against the domestic Indian cricket team.

There were a few surprised faces in the Delhi press box at the full six-line version Vande Mataram was played before the national anthem after the throw. This made the pre-match ceremony a bit longer than usual. The national anthem was not played during the T20 World Cup earlier this year and India’s bilateral matches against Afghanistan in June.

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For those who don’t know, the Ministry of Home Affairs issued guidelines on January 28 that prescribe the performance of the full six-syllabic version of Vande Mataram on certain official occasions, stating that whenever the national song and the national anthem are played together, Vande Mataram should precede Jana Gana Mana. The guidelines came under the spotlight in February and again amid controversy over their implementation in June. The government later reiterated the prescribed sequence in a communication issued in July.

Meanwhile, the Independence Day ceremony at Red Fort in 2026 featured Vande Mataram as part of the celebrations for the first time.

November 2025 marked the 150th anniversary of India’s national song Vande Mataram, which translates to “Mother, I bow to you”. An enduring anthem, this composition has inspired countless generations of freedom fighters and nation builders, standing as an enduring symbol of India’s national identity and collective spirit. ‘Vande Mataram’, composed by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee, was first published in the Bangadarshan literary magazine on 7 November 1875, according to PIB.

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The atmosphere at the Arun Jaitley Stadium was electric on Sunday evening as the first of three T20I matches got under way as part of the landmark T20 Friendship Cup between India and Afghanistan.

Before the toss, the Indian team handed over the jersey to Afghanistan through captain Shreyas Iyer. A special coin was also used for the raffle in honor of the friendship between the two countries. The home captain, in this case Ibrahim Zadran, flipped a coin during the throw-in.

This was the first time that Afghanistan hosted India in a bilateral series. And the chosen place was Delhi. Afghanistan have hosted other teams at several venues in India, including Greater Noida, but this was the first time they hosted India.

The second and third T20Is, scheduled for Tuesday and Thursday, will also be played at the Arun Jaitley Stadium.

India won the toss and elected to bowl. And it didn’t take long for India’s leading pacer Jasprit Bumrah to strike as he got the big wicket of Rahmanullah Gurbaz in the first over.

– The end

Issued by:

Saurabh Kumar

Published on:

13 Sep 2026 20:09 IST