The fourth match in the Champions Trophy 2025 got off to an embarrassing start in Lahore as organisers mistakenly played the Indian national anthem instead of Australia's before the highly anticipated clash between Australia and England on Saturday.
The bizarre mix-up at the Gaddafi Stadium left Australian cricketers visibly confused, with some exchanging puzzled glances as Jana Gana Mana echoed through the stadium.
England players, too, appeared surprised before the error was noticed, and the anthem was abruptly stopped. Order was restored when Advance Australia Fair was finally played, allowing the match to proceed as scheduled.
The blunder sparked widespread confusion, especially as India are not scheduled to play any of their Champions Trophy matches in Pakistan.
The mix-up quickly became the talk of social media, with fans poking fun at the organisers. Several users quipped that Pakistan was “missing India,” while others jokingly suggested that the anthem blunder was a sign of India’s omnipresence in world cricket.
"Pakistan just can't get India out of their mind!" one user wrote.
Another added, "ENG vs AUS match in Lahore, and they played India’s anthem. You can’t make this up!"
Memes flooded Twitter, with many referring to the incident as "absolute cinema" and comparing it to past cricketing gaffes.
Political tensions between India and Pakistan led to a hybrid model being adopted for the tournament, with India playing all their matches in Dubai. Pakistan, as the official host, retained the rights to host matches in Lahore and Karachi, but India refused to travel to the neighbouring country.
Earlier, Australian captain Steve Smith won the toss and opted to bowl first, looking to exploit early movement on a fresh pitch.
Australia made an interesting selection call by including in-form wicketkeeper-batter Alex Carey in the middle order, despite already having Josh Inglis in the squad.
At the time of writing, England were 43/2 in 5.1 overs, with Australian bowlers striking early to put the opposition under pressure.
