The 35-year-old Akshay (70-65), a two-time PGTI Tour winner, produced the best round of the day - a seven-under 65 - to climb from tied 14th into a share of the lead. His round featured nine birdies and two bogeys, with a closing birdie sealing his move to the top.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The 31-year-old Dhruv (69-66), a winner on the tour in 2024, returned a six-under 66 that included an eagle on the par-5 14th along with six birdies and two bogeys.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Japan\u2019s Taiga Tanaka (68-68), Kolkata\u2019s Sunit Chowrasia (70-66), and Nepal\u2019s Sukra Bahadur Rai (70-66) were tied third at eight-under 136, one shot off the lead. Chowrasia and Rai surged up the leaderboard with rounds of 66, while Tanaka added a steady second consecutive 68.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Overnight co-leaders Harman Sachdeva (67-70) and Jamal Hossain (67-70) slipped into a seven-way tie for sixth at seven-under 137. They were joined by the Karnal duo of Mani Ram (69-68) and Rohit Narwal (68-69), along with former Asian Tour winners Himmat Singh Rai of Delhi (70-67) and Viraj Madappa of Kolkata (71-66), as well as Bengaluru\u2019s Manoj S. (70-67), who was recently the best-placed Indian at the Indian Open.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Akshay credited his sharp ball-striking and putting for his rise up the leaderboard. \u201cI was spot on today \u2014 my ball-striking was good, and I putted really well, so it was an excellent round,\u201d he said.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
A strong stretch around the turn proved decisive. \u201cI built momentum with a birdie on the ninth, chipped in on the 10th and then made a long putt on the 11th. After that, I was able to keep it going with a few more birdies,\u201d he added.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Sheoran\u2019s highlight came on the 14th, where he produced a near-perfect approach to set up an eagle. \u201cI hit a good drive of around 330 yards and had about 218 yards left. I went with the longer club to stay safe, and it came out perfectly, finishing about three feet from the hole,\u201d Sheoran said.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
A strong stretch around the turn proved decisive. \u201cI built momentum with a birdie on the ninth, chipped in on the 10th and then made a long putt on the 11th. After that, I was able to keep it going with a few more birdies,\u201d he added.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The cut fell at even-par 144, with 50 of 132 players advancing to the final two rounds.<\/p>\r\n\r\n