Mumbai, March 27 -- Indian equity benchmarks fell sharply on Friday, weighed down by global macro headwinds, rising bond yields, and persistent geopolitical tensions.

The benchmark Nifty 50 closed at 22,820, down 2.09 per cent, after opening with a gap-down and remaining under pressure throughout the session. The banking index Bank Nifty also mirrored the weakness, declining 2.67 per cent to settle at 52,275.

BSE Sensex closed at 73,583.22, down by 2.25%.

According to Sudeep Shah, Head of Technical and Derivatives Research at SBI Securities, a combination of global and domestic factors dampened investor sentiment.

"A combination of macro headwinds weighed heavily on market sentiment, including a pullback in crude oil prices, the rupee...