Julian Suri turned in 34 to maintain his two shot lead on day three of the Hero Indian Open at DLF Golf and Country Club.
The American had stretched his overnight advantage to four shots in the early stages and while Callum Shinkwin trimmed it to one, a birdie-birdie finish to the front nine got Suri to 12 under.
Scott Hend was two shots behind the Englishman at eight under, one clear of South African George Coetzee and Swede Robert Karlsson.
Home favourite S Chikkarangappa was the leader in the clubhouse at six under after an excellent 66.
Suri picked up where he left off with a birdie on the first from eight feet and his lead was up to three shots.
Another gain came for the leader on the second from similar range and he had quickly regained the four shot advantage that he briefly held on Friday afternoon.
Then, it was Shinkwin who was his nearest challenger and the 25-year-old picked up a shot on the third from ten feet to move back into second.
Chikkarangappa was delighting the home crowds and he moved into the group in a share of fourth - now six shots off the leader - with birdies on the first, second, fourth, ninth, tenth and 11th.
A first bogey of the day from Suri as he failed to get up and down on the par three third trimmed his advantage and Chikkarangappa made a seventh gain of the day on the 13th to sit just four back.
The Indian got up and down brilliantly at the 15th to save par but made a bogey on the 17th as he set the target.
Suri went a long way left off the tee at the seventh and had to play out sideways, surrendering a bogey to see his lead cut to one from Shinkwin who had birdied the fourth.
Hend had sandwiched a birdie on the fourth with bogeys on the first and sixth but holed a monster putt for par on the seventh.
Last week's winner then put his second to five feet on the par five eighth and all of a sudden he was just two shots off the lead.
Suri birdied the same hole after getting on the green in two to extend his lead back to two shots but Shinkwin quickly trimmed it again with the help of an excellent chip on the driveable par four ninth.
Coetzee had started the day bogey-bogey but he took advantage of the eighth to get back to seven under.
Karlsson was another to have a slow start, double-bogeying the sixth after a poor chip and dropping a shot on the next when he went right off the tee.
But the 2008 European Tour Number One made the most of the eighth and then put his approach to tap-in range on the next to join Coetzee.
Suri had birdied the ninth on days one and two and while he did not find the putting surface off the tee, he got up and down from the rough to turn in 34.
England's James Morrison and Austrian Matthias Schwab were alongside Chikkarangappa, one clear of Sihwan Kim, Prayad Marksaeng and Robert Rock.
