The DJ at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium accidentally played the Indian national anthem before the England vs. Australia Champions Trophy 2025 match on February 22. The unexpected incident drew a loud reaction from the crowd.
However, the music team swiftly corrected the error, switching from ‘Jana Gana Mana’ to Australia’s anthem, ‘Advance Australia Fair,’ within seconds. The mix-up occurred right after England concluded their anthem, ‘God Save the King.’
You can watch the video here:
https://x.com/oddeeven21/status/1893224312888311906?s=46
Notably, Rohit Sharma-led India is not traveling to Pakistan for the Champions Trophy due to geopolitical tensions. As a result, the tournament follows a hybrid model, with the Men in Blue playing all their matches in Dubai.
India began their campaign with a six-wicket win over Bangladesh ahead of their much-anticipated clash against defending champions Pakistan on Sunday, February 23. They will be eager to avenge their 180-run defeat to Pakistan in the 2017 Champions Trophy final in London.
Australia choose to field first against England in their Champions Trophy opener
Australia, led by Steve Smith, won the toss and elected to bowl first against England in their Champions Trophy opener. Notably, the team is missing skipper Pat Cummins due to injury and key pacer Mitchell Starc for personal reasons. Speaking at the toss, Smith said (via Cricbuzz):
“We’re gonna have a bowl.. Looks a pretty good surface. There’s a bit of dew when we were practicing, so we’ll like to chase later on.”
Regarding the inclusion of both wicketkeepers, Josh Inglis and Alex Carey, he commented:
“He’s (Carey) been batting really nicely. The two keepers played together in the Test matches, worked out well and both are quality batters. Always exciting, looking forward to getting started today.”
Carey recently scored 156 against Sri Lanka in the two-match Test series. Notably, both Australia and England enter the tournament after suffering whitewashes. Australia lost 2-0 to Sri Lanka, while Jos Buttler’s side was defeated 3-0 by India in a three-match series.
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