India, Sept. 5 -- Pakistan's path to the Women's Asia Cup 2026 semi-finals remains firmly in their own hands, but India's crushing seven-wicket victory on Saturday has stripped away much of the cushion they had built in their opening game.

Harmanpreet Kaur's side dismantled Pakistan for just 55 in 18.1 overs before racing to 57 for three in only 8.4 overs, completing the chase with 68 balls remaining. The size of the defeat was particularly damaging for Pakistan because of its effect on their net run rate.

Pakistan had begun their campaign with a 35-run victory over Thailand, scoring 119 for nine before restricting their opponents to 84 for eight. That result had left Fatima Sana's side with a healthy net run rate of +1.750. After the o...