In a significant blunder, India’s national anthem was mistakenly played instead of Australia’s at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore.
Before the much-anticipated Champions Trophy match between Australia and England, a significant mistake occurred at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. Instead of playing ‘Advance Australia Fair’, the Indian national anthem, Jana Gana Mana, unexpectedly filled the air, catching everyone off guard.
Typically, both competing teams’ national anthems are played before each match. ‘God Save The King’ was supposed to be followed by ‘Advance Australia Fair’, but for a brief moment, the Indian anthem played before the error was corrected.
Below is the video capturing the moment when India’s national anthem was mistakenly played.
ENG vs Australia match mai indian national anthem chala diya vo bhi lahore mai #ENGvsAUS #ChampionsTrophy2025 pic.twitter.com/iOHbe4wj1F
— Manjyot wadhwa (@Manjyot68915803) February 22, 2025
India had already made it clear that they would not be traveling to Pakistan for the Champions Trophy, leading to a unique arrangement where India would play all their matches in Dubai. Their next game against their long-time rivals, Pakistan, is set for Sunday, February 23.
The tournament, hosted by Pakistan, was already surrounded by anticipated controversies due to India’s absence. However, the unexpected anthem blunder added an intriguing twist to the event.
In their opening ICC Champions Trophy match in Lahore, Australia’s captain Steve Smith won the toss and opted to bowl first against England. The team featured Alex Carey in the middle order, who made a notable impact by taking a stunning catch to dismiss Phil Salt in the second over.
The tournament encountered several challenges both before and during the matches. Initially, there was a dispute regarding the mention of Pakistan’s name on India’s jersey. After that issue was resolved, another problem emerged concerning the broadcast mentions.
The Pakistan Cricket Board expressed its dissatisfaction to the ICC over the omission of the nation’s name from the tournament logo displayed during the live broadcast of the India versus Bangladesh match. Even though India secured a six-wicket victory in the game held in Dubai on Thursday, the ICC acknowledged the oversight and committed to making corrections.