Vande Mataram was played before a cricket match for the first time on foreign soil when the national song preceded the national anthem before the start of play in the historic India-Japan one-off T20I at the Sano International Stadium here on Tuesday.Vande Mataram was first played ahead of the Indian national anthem before the start of play in India’s first T20I against Afghanistan on September 13, marking the first such instance in any international sports event.The Ministry of Home Affairs had issued guidelines on February 6 this year requiring the rendition of Vande Mataram as part of the 150th-year anniversary of the national song.The first-ever T20I between India and Japan, meanwhile, was reduced to five-overs-per-side affair due to wet outfield.