India, Sept. 13 -- The national song Vande Mataram was played before the national anthem Jana Gana Mana during the T20 match between India and Afghanistan in New Delhi on Sunday, marking the first time the two were presented together before a cricket match.

As part of the customary pre-match ceremony, players from both teams lined up on the field before the start of the game. The full six-stanza version of Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay's Vande Mataram was played for three minutes and 10 seconds, followed immediately by India's national anthem.

The entire pre-match ceremonial rendition lasted four minutes and two seconds.

The move marked a departure from the single-anthem protocol generally followed during international cricket matches, ...