Australia restrict India to 167/8 in fourth T20 International
Carrara (Gold Coast) (PTI): India never got the momentum they needed after a wicketless powerplay to end with an underwhelming 167 for eight in the fourth T20 International here on Thursday.
Abhishek Sharma (28 off 21) and Shubman Gill (46 off 39) put on 56 for the opening wicket before India lost their way.
Promoted to number three to counter Adam Zampa, Shivam Dube (22 off 18) could not make a big impact while skipper Suryakumar Yadav (20 off 10) departed after hitting a couple of sixes.
Pacer Nathan Ellis (3/21 in 4 overs) was the pick of the Australian bowlers, using his wide range of variations effectively. Zampa leaked 45 runs in his four overs but more importantly he got three wickets including the dangerous Abhishek.
Abhishek stepped out to Zampa in the second ball of his opening spell and dispatched it down the ground for a maximum. The southpaw tried to hit another one out of the park two balls later but was caught at long on.
Abhishek could have been out off the game's second ball off left-arm pacer Ben Dwarshuis but Xavier Bartlett grassed the early opportunity.
Abhishek's friend and opening partner Gill, who is yet to make an impact in the series, had to work hard for his runs. He released some pressure with a massive hit off Marcus Stonis in the cow corner region before falling to a back of the hand slower one from Ellis.
The wickets kept falling thereafter, robbing the innings of any flow. Axar Patel (21 not out off 11) got the much needed boundaries towards the end to push the total past 160.
India lost four wickets for 42 runs in the last five overs.
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Rupee falls 28 paise to 94.77 against US dollar in early trade
Mumbai (PTI): The rupee depreciated 28 paise to 94.77 against the US dollar in early trade on Thursday as market sentiment took a dramatic turn after reports emerged that the US and Iran are discussing a 14-point Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) aimed at reducing tensions and reopening negotiations.
Forex traders said Brent oil prices, which had fallen to USD 98 on the US-Iran peace deal, edged slightly higher to USD 101 per barrel after investors weighed the prospects for a Middle East peace deal.
Moreover, factors such as unabated foreign capital outflows amid rising geopolitical uncertainties further dented investor sentiment.
At the interbank foreign exchange market, the rupee opened at 94.77 against the US dollar, registering a fall of 28 paise over its previous close.
On Wednesday, the rupee appreciated 69 paise to close at 94.49 against the US dollar.
"Markets are currently focused on the critical 48-hour window during which the US expects Tehran’s formal response through Pakistani mediators," said CR Forex Advisors MD Amit Pabari.
US President Donald Trump on Wednesday threatened Iran with more bombing if it doesn't reopen the Strait of Hormuz, amid a report that the warring sides were nearing an agreement to end the war.
US media outlet Axios reported, quoting US officials and two other sources, that the US and Iran were getting close to a one-page memorandum of understanding to end the war and set a framework for more detailed nuclear negotiations.
The US expects Iranian responses on several key points over the next 48 hours, Axios reported, adding that nothing has been agreed yet. This was the closest the parties had been to an agreement since the war began.
Meanwhile, the dollar index, which gauges the greenback's strength against a basket of six currencies, was trading at 98.01, down 0.01 per cent.
Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, was trading higher by 0.65 per cent at USD 101.83 per barrel in futures trade.
On the domestic equity market front, the 30-share benchmark index Sensex declined 160.24 points to 77,798.28 in early trade, while the Nifty was down 30.25 points to 24,300.70.
Foreign Institutional Investors offloaded equities worth Rs 5,834.90 crore on Wednesday, according to exchange data.
On the domestic macroeconomic front, the country's goods and services exports rose 4.6 per cent to an all-time high of USD 863.11 billion during 2025-26, up from USD 825.26 billion in 2024-25, despite global economic uncertainties, according to revised commerce ministry data.
Merchandise exports grew 0.93 per cent to USD 441.78 billion in the last fiscal year from USD 437.70 billion in 2024-25, the data showed.
