Team India registered a commanding seven-wicket victory over Pakistan in their second group-stage match of the Asia Cup 2025 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday (September 14).

There was a massive backlash among fans against the BCCI and Indian players for not pulling out of the Pakistan fixture in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack and the retaliatory Operation Sindoor.

The pre-match atmosphere seemed quite tense. At the toss, India skipper Suryakumar Yadav and Pakistan’s Salman Ali Agha walked out together but the former pointedly refused to shake hands or acknowledge his counterpart.

After the win, India head coach Gautam Gambhir paid tribute to the Indian Armed Forces (IAF) while also showing solidarity with the victims of the Pahalgam attack.

“Good win. There is still a lot of cricket left in this tournament. This match was important as we wanted to show solidarity with the victims and their families and what they went through during that Pahalgam attack. More importantly, we want to thank the Indian Army for their successful Operation Sindoor. We will try to make our country proud and happy," said Gambhir in an interaction with Sony Sports.

Gambhir's comments came after Indian skipper Suryakumar Yadav's similar statement in the post-match presentation, where he dedicated the victory to the IAF, as well as showing solidarity with the victims of the Pahalgam attack.

After scoring the winning runs, Suryakumar walked back to the dressing room alongside non-striker Shivam Dube without shaking hands with the Pakistani players.

Visuals showed the Salman Ali Agha-led side making their way to interact with the Indian players, but the door was closed by the Men in Blue.