April 22 (Reuters) - India's equity benchmarks opened lower on Wednesday after three consecutive sessions of gains, dragged by IT stocks after HCLTech forecast weak annual revenue growth and posted subdued results.
Investors also assessed the outlook for U.S.-Iran peace talks following Washington's extension of a ceasefire.
The Nifty 50 fell 0.43% to 24,470.85, and the BSE Sensex shed 0.32% to 79,019.34, as of 09:15 a.m. IST. The broader small-caps and mid-caps traded flat.
Fourteen of the 16 major sectors declined at the open. The IT index fell 2.1%, leading sectoral losses.
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday he would indefinitely extend the ceasefire with Iran to allow for further peace talks, although it was not clear on Wednesday if Iran or Israel, the U.S. ally in the two-month war, would agree.
Trump also said he would continue the U.S. Navy's blockade of Iran's trade by sea.
Other Asian markets lost 0.5%, while Brent crude prices were largely flat at $98 a barrel. [O/R]
(Reporting by Vivek Kumar M and Bharath Rajeswaran; Editing by Subhranshu Sahu)
