New York/Washington, Jul 16 (PTI): US President Donald Trump on Wednesday said that Washington is “very close” to a trade deal with India.

“We're very close to a deal with India, where they open it up,” Trump said in the Oval Office while talking to reporters during a bilateral meeting with Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Bahrain Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa.

“We've made deals with a lot of great places… We have another one coming up maybe with India. I don't know, we're in negotiation. When I send out a letter, that's a deal,” Trump said.

A day earlier, Trump had said that America will have access to the Indian market as a trade deal with the country is being worked on.

“We will have full access into Indonesia, and we have a couple of those deals that are going to be announced. India basically is working along that same line. We're going to have access into India,” he said.

“And you have to understand, we had no access into any of these countries. Our people couldn't go in. And now we're getting access because of what we're doing with the tariffs,” Trump added, while talking to reporters as he departed the White House en route to Pittsburgh.

India and the US have been holding negotiations for the trade pact primarily to keep the tariffs below 20 per cent.

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Chennai (PTI): Afghanistan skipper Rashid Khan called for more bilateral series against stronger cricketing nations after his team signed off from the T20 World Cup on a high, defeating Canada in their final group match here on Thursday.

Afghanistan played some exhilarating cricket, going down to South Africa in a gripping second Super Over after the scores were tied, a humdinger that provided one of the early thrills of the World Cup.

However, the spin-bowling stalwart said Afghanistan could make significant strides if they get regular opportunities to compete against stronger cricketing nations.

"Couple of areas to improve, with the batting, the middle order got a bit stuck against the big teams, and then with the bowling the death overs. That comes when you play the bigger teams in bilateral series," said Rashid after his team defeat Canada by 82 runs, with him returning excellent figures of 2 for 19.

The stalwart said the side had arrived well prepared for the tournament and produced some breathtaking cricket, but admitted the narrow defeat to South Africa proved costly and remained a painful setback.

"We were well-prepared (for the tournament), we played some unbelievable cricket. The game against South Africa, that really hurt everyone. We had to win one of those (first two) games and see how the tournament unfolded. We'll take some positive things from this World Cup and look forward," he said.

With head coach Jonathan Trott set to part ways with the team, Rashid described the departure as an "emotional" moment for the side.

"I think we had some wonderful times with him. Where we are now, he played a main role. It's emotional to see him leave us, but that's how life is. We wish him all the best and somewhere down the line we see him again."

Ibrahim Zadran, who was named Player of the Match for his unbeaten 95 off 56 balls, said it was satisfying to finally register a substantial score after two below-par outings.

"I enjoyed it, didn't play better cricket in first two innings, which I expect. Wanted to back my skills, really enjoyed it. Pressure was there, it's there all the time. I want to put myself in pressure situations and enjoy it," said Zadran.

"Wanted to play positive cricket, rotate strike and punish bad ball, create partnerships and this is what I have done."