IND vs AFG T20I: Why was Vande Mataram played before national anthem for first time? Here's what report says

Vande Mataram was played before the national anthem for first time at an international sports event during India's T20 match against Afghanistan. Following a directive from Home Ministry, all six stanzas were played, lasting 3 minutes and 10 seconds. This will reportedly continue for home series.

The national song Vande Mataram, written by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay, was played ahead of the national anthem Jana Gana Mana at an international sporting event for the first time, before India’s opening T20 International against Afghanistan in New Delhi on Sunday.

The move followed a directive from the Union Home Ministry, under which all six stanzas of Vande Mataram were played at the Arun Jaitley Stadium. The national song lasted 3 minutes and 10 seconds, while the national anthem took 52 seconds, bringing the combined duration to 4 minutes and 2 seconds.

News agency PTI citing BCCI sources said Vande Mataram will now be played before the opening match of every home series.

Quick answers to key questions

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QUESTIONS

Vande Mataram was played ahead of the national anthem at India's T20I against Afghanistan following a directive from the Union Home Ministry, marking its first rendition at an international sporting event.

The BCCI announced that Vande Mataram will be played at the start of every home series, specifically before the first match of each series.

The Ministry of Home Affairs issued guidelines stating that the official version of Vande Mataram should last 3 minutes and 10 seconds, with attendees required to stand at attention during its performance.

Vande Mataram was adopted as the national song by the Indian National Congress in 1937 and received official recognition as the 'National Song' by the Constituent Assembly in 1950.

It remains uncertain whether both Vande Mataram and the national anthem will be featured at upcoming ICC events, as this was the first instance of the song being played at a sporting event.

"Vande Mataram will now be played at the start of every home series, before the start of first game," PTI quoted a BCCI source as saying.

MHA lays down rules for Vande Mataram rendition

The Ministry of Home Affairs issued guidelines on February 6 outlining the protocol for singing or playing Vande Mataram as part of events marking 150 years of the national song.

Under the guidelines, the official version of the song has been set at 3 minutes and 10 seconds. All those present are required to stand at attention during its rendition.

The complete six-stanza version has also been approved for select occasions, including formal government events attended by the President or Governors, broadcasts of presidential addresses on radio and television, ceremonies involving the National Flag being brought on parade, and other similar functions.

The first two stanzas of Vande Mataram were adopted as the national song by the Indian National Congress (INC) in 1937. The Constituent Assembly later accorded it the status of the 'National Song' in 1950.

With this marking the first time the song has been played at a sporting event, it remains to be seen whether both Vande Mataram and the national anthem will feature at the upcoming ICC events.

Abhishek, Arshdeep power India to series-opening win

India began the three-match T20I series against Afghanistan on a winning note, cruising to a seven-wicket victory at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Sunday. Abhishek Sharma’s explosive 82 and Arshdeep Singh’s three-wicket spell were the standout performances as India took a 1-0 lead.

After choosing to bowl first, India restricted Afghanistan to 156/8. Azmatullah Omarzai remained unbeaten on 64 to provide Afghanistan with a fighting total, while Arshdeep impressed with figures of 3/19. Axar Patel (1/27), Jasprit Bumrah (1/26) and Varun Chakaravarthy (1/16) also picked up wickets.

India made light work of the 157-run target, reaching 157/3 in just 13.4 overs. Abhishek smashed 82 off 32 balls, including seven fours and seven sixes, while Ishan Kishan contributed 42 off 33 deliveries, hitting five fours and a six. The pair added 121 runs for the second wicket to put India firmly in control of the chase.

Brief Scores: Afghanistan 156/8 (Azmatullah Omarzai 64*, Mohammed Nabi 33; Arshdeep Singh 3/19) lost to India 157/3 in 13.4 overs (Abhishek Sharma 82, Ishan Kishan 42; Mohammed Nabi 2/28).

About the Author

Garvit Bhirani is a journalist based in Gurugram. He is a Deputy Chief Content Producer at LiveMint, where he covers national and international news stories, focusing on accuracy and compelling storytelling for readers. <br><br> With a total of six years of experience in journalism, he has previously worked with Vaco Binary Semantics for Google, taking on the role of news curation lead, and reported from the field on health, education, and agriculture stories for 101reporters and News9. He has also served as a content editor for entertainment and news media organisations. <br><br> Garvit holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in journalism and mass communication from Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University and Gurugram University, respectively. During college days, he joined India’s only non-profit student journalism network, where he anchored daily news updates and produced his own weekly show called ‘Data Fix’. <br><br> He was selected for the YES Foundation Media for Social Change Fellowship in Delhi, the Talking Data to the Fourth Pillar residential workshop, and the VOICE Fellowship in Pune. <br><br> He holds certificates in COVID-19-verification reporting, data journalism, food & agriculture, tech policy, media literacy and countering misinformation, and tackling election disinformation courses from Thomson Foundation, IndiaSpend, The Dialogue, US Mission in India, and AFP. <br><br> He can be reached on <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/garvit-bhirani">LinkedIn</a> or on <a href="https://x.com/GarvitBhirani">@garvitbhirani</a> on X

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