Vande Mataram before Jana Gana Mana at India-Afghanistan T20: Historic first on cricket field

As part of the customary pre-match ceremony, players from both teams lined up on the field before the start of the game. The full six-stanza version of Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay’s Vande Mataram was played for three minutes and 10 seconds, followed immediately by India’s national anthem.

The entire pre-match ceremonial rendition lasted four minutes and two seconds.

The move marked a departure from the single-anthem protocol generally followed during international cricket matches, where the national anthems of the two competing teams are played before the game.

The ceremony was conducted in line with guidelines issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), which require the first six stanzas of Vande Mataram to be played at official events.

The development comes after the national song and the national anthem were sung together in full for the first time during the 2026 Independence Day celebrations.