Shubhankar Sharma continued a week to remember with a course-record 64 at the Indian Open, but Emiliano Grillo extended his healthy lead to four shots on Friday.
Home favourite Sharma was five over par through his opening nine holes at the DLF Golf and Country Club on Thursday, before recovering to finish at one over after round one.
And the 21-year-old, who was this week handed an invite to The Masters at Augusta, recorded six birdies on his way home during round two to sign for a score of eight under, leaving him seven under for the tournament and four off the lead.
"I'm very happy with the way I played. I've shot a few low numbers in my career and this one is right in my top five," he told the European Tour's official website.
"If you told me I would be seven under par going into the weekend after being five over par on my opening nine holes yesterday, I would just have laughed."
Overnight leader Grillo remains the man to beat, though, having followed up an opening-round 65 with a four-under 68.
The Argentinian is playing on an invite this week and his card showed five birdies and just a solitary bogey.
Pablo Larrazabal, who almost missed his tee time on Thursday due to alarm clock woe, is a shot behind Sharma, alongside Andrew Johnston, whose six-under 66 saw him surge up the leaderboard.
