Mumbai, Sept. 18 -- Indian equity markets opened higher on Friday, with the Sensex gaining over 200 points and the Nifty crossing 23,300, tracking a broader rally in Asian markets as easing crude oil prices helped temper inflation concerns.

Both the benchmark indices opened with a gap-up; Sensex opened at 74,575.24 and was trading at around 74,485.71, up 171.12 points or 0.23 per cent against the previous close of 74,314.59. Nifty opened at 23,334.70 and was trading at around 23,327.40, up 56.80 points or 0.24 per cent against the previous close of 23,270.60, at the time of reporting.

Sectorally, Nifty Realty emerged as the major gainer, rising 1.24 per cent, while Nifty IT emerged as the top drag, declining -1.40 per cent following Nif...