India`s key equity indices, the Sensex and Nifty, fell sharply in early trade on Wednesday after a record-breaking rise fuelled by negative trends in global markets. The BSE Sensex slid 721.75 points to 81,833.69, while the NSE Nifty dropped 196.05 points to 25,083.80.

Major decliners among the 30 Sensex corporations included JSW Steel, Infosys, Larsen & Toubro, State Bank of India, Tata Steel, Mahindra & Mahindra, Bharti Airtel, and Axis Bank. However, Asian Paints, Bajaj Finserv, Bajaj Finance, and Hindustan Unilever all posted rises.