Team India’s first T20I against South Africa on Friday was marred by a minor but significant controversy before the match had even begun. As the two teams lined up for the national anthem, India’s anthem began to play first, but the proceedings were quickly disrupted by a technical glitch.
The anthem was cut off multiple times, and at one point, it stopped altogether. Despite the mishap, the Indian players showed camaraderie by continuing to sing the anthem, unperturbed by the interruption. The anthem was then resumed from where it had left off, though the awkwardness of the situation was evident.
The players, maintaining their composure, continued with the anthem until it was finally completed.
The technical failure led to visible confusion among the Indian players, while the crowd expressed their disapproval, too. Once the anthem finally came to a close, the crowd erupted in applause, signaling their appreciation of the players’ professionalism amidst the unsettling disruption.
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The fans also expressed their anger on social media platforms at the technical glitch during the all-important anthems.
Earlier, South Africa captain Aiden Markram won the toss, opting to bowl under overcast conditions in Durban.
This is the first time when the two sides are meeting in an international match since the T20 World Cup final in June, where India made an iconic comeback late in the game to register a 7-run win, thus lifting the trophy after 14 years.
Since then, India’s two batting stalwarts – Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli – called time on their T20I careers with Suryakumar Yadav succeeding Rohit as India’s new captain. Under Suryakumar, India made a bright start in the shortest format, clean-sweeping Sri Lanka 3-0 in an away series in August. The side also defeated Bangladesh with the same scoreline in the home series last month.
The first T20I also saw the return of Axar Patel to the T20I XI, while Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma continue to open the innings.
