For the first time in history, Vande Mataram, India's national song, was played at the venue before the national anthem at the Arun Jaitley Stadium ahead of the first T20I against Afghanistan on Sunday. The poem, first published in 1882 as part of Chatterjee's Bengali novel Anandamath, was performed at the venue ahead of the national anthems of both teams. Once the entire national song was completed, India's and Afghanistan's national anthems followed. This marked the first time that Vande Mataram was ever played in an international cricket match.
This development came months after the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) issued guidelines, requiring official events to play the first six stanzas of Vande Mataram. The main rule also states that the National Anthem must be played after the National Song, which has a set duration of 190 seconds. The Ministry had listed out events during which the National Song was made mandatory to be sung or played, but the sporting events were excluded.
The guidelines issued by the Ministry also stated that people must be attentive when the song is played at official events. Both the National Song and Anthem were sung together in full for the first time on August 15, 2026, and this was followed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi delivering his Independence Day speech.
{{/usCountry}}The guidelines issued by the Ministry also stated that people must be attentive when the song is played at official events. Both the National Song and Anthem were sung together in full for the first time on August 15, 2026, and this was followed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi delivering his Independence Day speech.
{{/usCountry}}Also Read: IND vs AFG LIVE Score, 1st T20I 2026: Check all updates and scoreboard here
It is worth noting that Vande Mataram was written in Bengali by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee in the 1870s. It was in 1950 when the first two stanzas were adopted as India’s national song.
Speaking of the order issued by the Home Ministry, the 10-page diktat stated that if the national song and the national anthem, Jana Gana Mana, are played together, Vande Mataram would be played first. The audience was also advised to stand in attention whenever it is sung or played.
The move was in sync with the Union government’s recent push to popularise Vande Mataram.
All you need to know about the first T20I
The first T20I between India and Afghanistan started with Shreyas Iyer winning the toss and opting to bowl. There was no place for Vaibhav Sooryavanshi in the playing XI as Sanju Samson reclaimed his spot as the opener.
It has been a mixed start to Shreyas' captaincy tenure as he first lost the series against Ireland and England. The Men in Blue lost against Ireland 0-2 and then 0-4 against England. However, India stormed back into form, winning 3-0 against Zimbabwe, and Sooryavanshi was adjudged as Player of the Series for his haul of 151 runs.