T20 World Cup: India struggle to 161 for 9 against USA after top-order collapse
Mumbai (PTI): Skipper Suryakumar Yadav fought back with a counter-attacking half-century, but India still failed to prop up their batting, limping to a below-par 161 for 9 after a massive top and middle-order collapse against a determined USA side in their T20 World Cup clash here on Saturday.
It was Suryakumar Yadav, who opted for caution initially, single-handedly striving to shore up India's innings with an unbeaten 84 off 49 balls, studded with 10 boundaries and four sixes, as wickets continued to fall at the other end.
India were left shell-shocked at 77 for 6 in the 13th over as USA's 37-year-old South African-born pacer Shadley van Schalkwyk (4/25) tore through the batting, striking thrice in a brutal sixth over to remove Ishan Kishan (20), Tilak Varma (25) and Shivam Dube (0).
The slide had begun earlier when Pakistan-born pacer Ali Khan sent opener Abhishek Sharma back for a first-ball duck.
Rinku Singh (6) and Hardik Pandya (5) also failed to stay with Suryakumar Yadav for long, while Axar Patel attempted to steady the innings but departed cheaply for 14.
Earlier, USA won the toss and opted to bowl.
India did not field pace ace Jasprit Bumrah in the match as he is unwell, with Mohammed Siraj coming into the playing XI.
Brief scores: India 161 for 9 in 20 overs (Ishan Kishan 20, Tilak Varma 25, Suryakumar Yadav 4; Shadley van Schalkwyk 4/25, Ali Khan 1/13, Harmeet Singh 2/26).
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Rupee falls 32 paise to all-time low of 95.20 against US dollar
Mumbai, Apr 30 (PTI): The rupee depreciated 32 paise to an all-time low of 95.20 against the US dollar in early trade on Thursday, weighed down by elevated Brent crude oil prices, hovering around USD 122 per barrel, and strong American currency.
Forex traders said the USD/INR pair may see further downside, as rising crude oil prices are likely to sharply impact India's import costs, while concerns over potential wider conflict in West Asia are fuelling investor anxiety.
Meanwhile, the US dollar added to gains after the US FED Reserve kept rates unchanged. Safe-haven demand was also boosted by another diplomatic setback between Washington and Tehran.
At the interbank foreign exchange market, the rupee opened at 95.01 against the US dollar, then lost some ground and touched an all-time low of 95.20 against the US dollar in initial trade, registering a fall of 32 paise over its previous close.
On Wednesday, the rupee depreciated 20 paise to close at an all-time low of 94.88 against the US dollar.
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"The main effect on the rupee has been from the rising oil prices, which touched USD 120 per barrel and looked headed for further upside as the US continues with its blockade of Iranian ports, while Iran does not allow any ship/tanker to pass through the Strait of Hormuz," said Anil Kumar Bhansali, Head of Treasury and Executive Director Finrex Treasury Advisors LLP.
Meanwhile, the dollar index, which gauges the greenback's strength against a basket of six currencies, was trading 0.01 per cent higher at 98.96.
Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, was trading higher by 3.16 per cent at USD 121.76 per barrel in futures trade.
On the domestic equity market front, Sensex tumbled 821.79 points to 76,674.57 in early trade, while the Nifty dived 287.3 points to 23,890.35.
Foreign Institutional Investors offloaded equities worth Rs 2,468.42 crore on Wednesday, according to exchange data.
"FPIs continue with their sale of Indian Equities and debt (the yield touched 7 per cent on Wednesday) and are also dollar buyers consistently," Bhansali added.
