First time ever: Indian players sing Vande Mataram, then National Anthem before start of India vs Afghanistan 1st T20I

September 13, 2026

In a historic first for international cricket, India's national song, Vande Mataram, resounded across the Arun Jaitley Stadium preceding the anthems of both India and Afghanistan ahead of their opening T20I clash. The rendition adheres to a recent ten-page protocol from the Ministry of Home Affairs dictating that when paired, the 190-second, six-stanza national song must precede Jana Gana Mana with attendees standing attentively, even though sports fixtures were formally exempted from the mandate.

Initially composed in Bengali during the 1870s by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee and included in his 1882 book Anandamath, the composition saw its opening two stanzas officially recognized in 1950. The complete dual performance of the song and anthem previously occurred on August 15, 2026, leading into Prime Minister Narendra Modi's address on Independence Day.

On the field, Indian skipper Shreyas Iyer chose to field first after winning the coin toss, bringing Sanju Samson back to open while leaving out Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. Iyer's leadership run has experienced sharp swings, featuring consecutive series defeats against Ireland by 0-2 and England by 0-4, which were followed by a 3-0 sweep of Zimbabwe where Sooryavanshi earned Player of the Series honors with 151 runs.