Indian shares are set for a weak start to October, with foreign investor selling and geopolitical tensions weighing on sentiment.

GIFT Nifty futures were trading at 22,570, down 0.25 per cent, indicating a soft opening for the Nifty 50, which closed at 22,620.45 on Wednesday, Reuters reported on October 1.

Foreign investors sold Indian shares worth 101.48 billion rupees on Wednesday, taking outflows to about $3.6 billion in just five sessions. Year-to-date selling by foreign portfolio investors has crossed $27.8 billion, according to Reuters.

Both the Nifty and the Sensex fell around 2.3 and 1.9 per cent this week and are heading for their eighth consecutive weekly decline.

Brent crude is holding near $98 a barrel amid the seven-month-old war between the US and Iran. Brokerages expect October to stay weak for equities, with Nuvama noting that foreign index-futures short positions have climbed to 267,000 contracts, the highest this year.