New Delhi, April 15 -- The Indian stock markets opened sharply higher on Wednesday, tracking a strong rally in global markets as hopes of a pause in the West Asia conflict pulled crude oil prices lower and lifted investor mood.

Benchmark indices jumped at the open, with sentiment getting a big boost from signs of progress in US-Iran talks. Brent crude fell as low as $93, easing fears of an energy shock and giving markets reason to cheer.

The Nifty 50 index rose 1.4 per cent to 24,178.50 points in early trade on Wednesday, and the BSE Sensex index jumped 1.5% or 1,112.44 points to 77,945.15 points. All sectoral indices were in the green with the Nifty IT Index as the biggest gainer during the session, rising 2.6 per cent to 31,459.00 poi...