India-Japan T20I: Vande Mataram precedes national anthem

Vande Mataram was played before the Indian national anthem on foreign soil for the first time as India faced Japan in a historic one-off T20I at the Sano International Stadium on Tuesday.

The national song was played ahead of the anthem before the start of play, following its first such use in an international sporting event during India’s T20I against Afghanistan on September 13.

The Ministry of Home Affairs had issued guidelines on February 6 this year requiring the rendition of Vande Mataram as part of the 150th-year anniversary of the national song.

The development came on a rain-affected day in Sano, where the match was reduced to five overs per side. India survived a late scare to beat Japan by two runs after posting 32/4.

Japan’s spinners made life difficult for India on a slow surface with considerable turn. Shreyas Iyer top-scored with 16, while Sanju Samson made 10. Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan and other Indian batters struggled to find their timing against the conditions.

Japan then pushed India close in the chase. Ravi Bishnoi conceded 10 runs in the third over, while Washington Sundar went for seven in the penultimate over, leaving Japan needing eight from the final six balls.

Axar Patel, however, used his experience to restrict the Japanese batters in the closing over. With the wet outfield further slowing the ball, Japan could not find the required runs.

The result gave India a narrow two-run victory in the first-ever T20I between the two sides.

The match also featured a few tense moments in the final over, with India captain Shreyas Iyer appealing against a wide call. One of the decisions was subsequently overturned.