Intercontinental Cup: Chhetri double on 100th game helps India beat Kenya
Mumbai, June 4: Skipper Sunil Chhetri scored a brace on his 100th international game as Jeje Lalpekhlua also got on the scoresheet to help India beat Kenya 3-0 and put on foot in the final of the Intercontinental Cup on a rain-soaked Monday night at the Mumbai Football Arena here.
After a barren first half which saw chances few and far between due to torrential downpour, Chhetri (68th minute penalty, 90+1) won and converted a penalty before adding to his tally in second-half added time with a delicate chip past the goalkeeper to round off the victory in front of 9,000 odd-spectators.
On either side of Chhetri's landmark double, Jeje (71st) made it 2-0 as India bagged two wins in as many games and moved to six points.
Stephen Constantine's wards thrashed Chinese Taipei 5-0 in their first outing and will now take on New Zealand on Thursday in the four-team tourney. They are top of the table followed by Kenya (three points), who beat the All Whites 2-1 in their first match and will now take on Chinese Taipei.
The top two teams in the points table will meet in the summit clash on Sunday.
This was India's 13th win in 16th games and second on the bounce since the loss to Kyrgyz Republic.
Both sides struggled for cohesion in the first period as it rained profusely.
In the 25th minute, Chhetri tried to take advantage of a sloppy clearance and chip the ball over retreating Kenyan goalkeeper Patrick Matasi but his effort went just over the crossbar.
Kenya looked the better side in a scrappy 45 minutes as Chhetri chased down another Subhasish Bose long ball but Matasi averted the danger on the edge of the box.
Towards the end of the first period, the rain looked to relent as both teams headed towards the tunnel.
Kenya got two gilt-edged chances early on after the break, but Ovella Ochieng and Pistone Mutamba dragged wide of target with the Indian centre-back pairing of Anas Edathodika and Sandesh Jhingan carved open far too easily.
At the other end, Holicharan Narzary did well to elude his marker on the left flank and cross for Chhetri inside the box, but the latter failed to connect properly.
Minutes later, Chhetri had another opportunity to get his name on the scoresheet, but the Bengaluru FC marksman volleyed wide from a good position inside the area.
Just after the hour mark, Pronay Halder -- who scored his first goal for India in the last game -- unleashed a curling long ranger which drew a brilliant save from Matasi.
Soon after, Chhetri won a controversial penalty as replays showed Kenyan defender Michael Kibwage bringing him down just outside the box.
The referee, nonetheless, pointed to the spot and Delhi boy made no mistake from 12 yards despite Matasi getting a hand to the ball.
Chhetri did not celebrate his landmark goal as his teammates hugged him from all corners. With wife Sonam Bhattacharya watching from the stands, Chhetri pointed towards hugged him from all corners, then folding his hands as the fans cheered along.
Three minutes later Jeje doubled India's tally, rifling a rebound into the top corner from the edge of the box.
It was picture perfect in the end when Chhetri linked up with substitute Balwant Singh to run clear and dink the ball past Matasi.
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Rupee falls 5 paise to close at 89.94 against US dollar after RBI cuts repo rate
Mumbai (PTI): The rupee on Friday gave up its initial gains and settled for the day lower by 5 paise at 89.94 (provisional) against US dollar, after the Reserve Bank cut key benchmark interest rate for the first time in six months.
Forex traders said the Reserve Bank of India's (RBI) rate cut will weigh on the rupee, but RBI's decision to purchase government bonds worth up to Rs 1 lakh crore through open market operations (OMO), combined with a USD 5 billion buy-sell swap, will support the local currency.
At the interbank foreign exchange market, the rupee opened at 89.85 against the US dollar and gained ground, touching 89.69 in morning deals, registering a 20-paise gain from its previous close.
After the RBI's monetary policy announcement, the rupee lost ground and fell to 90.06 against the American currency, a 16-paise decline from its previous close of 89.89. The currency is down almost 5 per cent against the dollar this year, the worst performer in Asia.
The local unit finally settled for the day lower by 5 paise at 89.94 (provisional) against the American currency.
"Beyond the rate cut, RBI's decision to purchase government bonds worth up to Rs 1 lakh crore through OMO, combined with a USD 5 billion buy-sell swap, marks a decisive effort to restore durable liquidity and stabilize currency markets after the rupee's sharp depreciation," said Sachin Bajaj, Executive Vice President & Chief Investment Officer, Axis Max Life Insurance.
The RBI on Friday cut the key benchmark interest rate for the first time in six months and took steps to boost liquidity to support a "goldilocks" economy amid high US tariffs.
Reserve Bank Governor Sanjay Malhotra said the central bank does not target any band for the rupee in the forex market, and allows the domestic currency to find its own correct level.
"We don't target any price levels or any bands. We allow the markets to determine the prices. We believe that markets, especially in the long run, are very efficient. It's a very deep market," he said while replying to a question on rupee depreciation at a post-monetary policy press meet.
Malhotra said fluctuations in the market keep occurring, and the RBI's effort is always to reduce any abnormal or excessive volatility. "And that is what we will continue to endeavour," he added.
In its bi-monthly monetary policy, the RBI announced three-year USD/INR Buy Sell swaps of USD 5 billion this month. When asked if this is aimed at checking rupee depreciation, Malhotra said, "It is a liquidity measure. It is not to support the rupee".
The governor further said the country has sufficient foreign exchange reserves and that the current account is manageable, and that, given the strong fundamentals of the economy, the country should witness strong capital flows going forward.
Meanwhile, the dollar index, which gauges the greenback's strength against a basket of six currencies, was trading 0.03 per cent lower at 98.96.
Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, rose 0.02 per cent to USD 63.27 per barrel in futures trade.
On the domestic equity market front, Sensex jumped 447.05 points to settle at 85,712.37, while the Nifty climbed 152.70 points to 26,186.45.
Foreign institutional investors sold equities worth Rs 1,944.19 crore on a net basis on Thursday, according to exchange data.
