Photo via Hindustan Times

Vande Mataram played before India-Afghanistan T20I in a first for men's team after amendment

Prior to Monday's opening Twenty20 International against Afghanistan at New Delhi's Arun Jaitley Stadium, the Indian men's cricket team witnessed a historic ceremonial change as Vande Mataram was performed in its entirety right before Jana Gana Mana. This ceremonial adjustment stems from the newly enacted Prevention of Insults to National Honour (Amendment) Bill, 2026, passed in late July and approved by President Droupadi Murmu in August, which updated Section 3 of the 1971 statute to give the national song equivalent legal safeguards to the national anthem by criminalizing willful disruptions or obstructions during its performance.

In accordance with a ten-page directive from the Union Home Ministry instructing that the national song precede the anthem when paired and that crowds stand at attention for both, the practice will now feature at tournaments and series where pre-match anthems are standard.