In a historic first, India’s national song Vande Mataram was played at the Arun Jaitley Stadium ahead of the national anthems of both India and Afghanistan before the first T20I began on Sunday.
The national anthem of Afghanistan was also performed as part of the pre-match protocol.
As players from both sides lined up on the field prior to the match, the venue echoed with Vande Mataram before the Indian national anthem, Jana Gana Mana, was played.
But the ongoing game on Sunday, where India have taken the early edge by dismissing half of Afghanistan’s batting order in the first ten overs, marked the first time the newly framed protocol was integrated into an international cricket game in India, though it left some fans surprised. The ministry notified the first formal set of protocols for singing the national song, directing that six stanzas of it be sung at official functions, according to the initial MHA directive issued on January 28.
Everyone involved in the conduct of the game was aware of this,” a DDCA official told IANS.
“You can see the Home Ministry guidelines, in which every event happening in the country has to have Vande Mataram sung before the national anthem.
