Vande Mataram Played For First Time Before National Anthem At India Vs Afghanistan T20I In New Delhi

Vande Mataram played before Jana Gana Mana at the start of the India-Afghanistan T20I in New Delhi on Sunday. The unusual pre-match sequence took place at Arun Jaitley Stadium.

The teams were lined up on the field before the opening game of the T20I series when India’s National Song was played inside the stadium. The Indian National Anthem came on after Vande Mataram ended.

This was the first ever instance at an international sporting event, national song Vande Mataram, penned by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay, was played after national anthem.

Events Covered By Directive

The sequence comes months after the Ministry of Home Affairs issued a directive on Vande Mataram, India’s National Song.

In a notification dated January 28, the ministry issued the first set of protocols for singing the National Song. It directed that six stanzas of Vande Mataram shall be sung at official functions. The six stanzas take about 3 minutes 10 seconds to sing.

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Independence Day First

The ministry also set out the occasions and situations in which the National Song had to be sung along with the National Anthem. Sporting events were not included in the list. Even so, both songs were played before the India-Afghanistan match at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Sunday.

The match was the opening game of the T20I series between India and Afghanistan in New Delhi.

The National Song and the National Anthem were sung together for the first time on August 15, 2026. That occasion came after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Independence Day speech.

Sunday’s pre-match ceremony at the India-Afghanistan T20I followed that earlier public rendering of both songs together.