IND vs AFG 1st T20I — Vande Mataram played at Arun Jaitley Stadium before National Anthem

New Delhi: India's captain Shreyas Iyer, left, and Afghanistan's captain Ibrahim Zadran at toss before the first T20I cricket match between India and Afghanistan, in New Delhi, Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026. (PTI Photo/Money Sharma)(PTI09_13_2026_000370B) | Photo Credit: PTI

The T20I series between India and Afghanistan got off to an unusual start at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi on Sunday.

As the teams lined up on the field before the start of the game, Vande Mataram was played inside the stadium, instead of the Indian National Anthem, Jana Gana Mana.

The Indian National Anthem, however, came on once the first song ended.

This comes after the Ministry of Home Affairs earlier this year issued a notification regarding the Vande Mataram song, which is India’s National Song.

In the directive dated January 28, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) notified first set of protocols for singing the National Song, directing that six stanzas of it shall be sung on official functions. It takes approximately 3 minutes 10 seconds to sing the six stanzas of the song.

The ministry listed out a set of events/situations during which the National Song had to be sung along with the National Anthem, which did not include sporting events.

The two were sung together for the first time on August 15, 2026, after the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi delivered his Independence Day speech.

Published on Sep 13, 2026

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