Vande Mataram played before Indian cricket match in Japan

India vs Japan was reduced to a five-over per side match after rain interrupted proceedings. | Photo Credit: BCCI/X

Vande Mataram, India’s National Song, was played before the National Anthem ahead of the Indian men’s team’s historic first-ever international fixture against Japan, being held at the Sano International Cricket Ground.

Although this is the first time that the National Song has been played before an Indian men’s cricket match on foreign soil, Vande Mataram was also played recently at home.

During the first T20I between India and Afghanistan in New Delhi earlier this month, Vande Mataram was played inside the Arun Jaitley stadium in New Delhi.

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 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.

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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 directive also notes that, “It is not possible to give an exhaustive list of occasions on which the singing of the National Song can be permitted. But there is no objection to the singing of the National Song accompanied by mass singing so long as it is done with due respect as a salutation to the motherland and proper decorum in maintained.”

A source in the BCCI had told PTI on condition of anonymity that Vande Mataram will henceforth be played before the start of the first match of every home series. However, that T20I series was being ‘hosted’ by the Afghanistan Cricket Board, and this international friendly is being held in Japan.

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

Published on Sep 22, 2026

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