Home favourite Shiv Kapur fired a sizzling seven-under-par 65 to join Australia's Unho Park at the top of the leaderboard in New Delhi.
Delhi native overcomes flu to grab a share
Home favourite Shiv Kapur fired a sizzling seven-under-par 65 to join Australia's Unho Park at the top of the leaderboard in the Johnnie Walker Classic.
The highlight of Kapur's round was an eagle at the par five sixth as he pulled level with Park, who shot 66 earlier for a two-day score of 134.
India's Jyoti Randhawa and Taichiro Kiyota of Japan are one off the pace, while Australian world number five Adam Scott is one of four players two back.
Alongside Scott are Englishmen Phillip Archer and Graeme Storm. Archer shot the tournament's best round so far with an eight-under-par 64 while Storm had a 66.
Surge
Archer began the day on level par but surged up the leaderboard after an electric round on the 7,156-yard Arnold Palmer-designed layout near Delhi that included an eagle and six birdies.
"I don't like to say it was easy but it felt very easy with no stress," said the 35-year-old who is eyeing his first victory on the European Tour after three runner-up finishes last season.
"I hit it close a few times and made a few decent 15 footers. When you hole them and knock your six footers in, it feels easy."
Spain's Jose Manuel Lara (67) is the other man on eight-under.
World number 11 Vijay Singh is also handily placed in a group of six players on six-under, while local favourite Jeev Milkha Singh is a further stroke back.
Cut
But Ian Poulter and Colin Montgomerie will not be around for the weekend. Poulter missed the halfway cut of two-under 142 despite firing a battling 68 to finish on even par, while Montgomerie's 76 left him well adrift on six over.
Currently 54th in the world and sure to drop a couple of places on Monday, the Scot's chances of climbing into the top 50 and earning a place at Augusta are diminishing fast.
Delhi native Kapur overcame the flu to shoot his bogey-free 65 and said: "Yesterday, my nose was dripping like a tap every time I would stand over a putt and I would have to concentrate but it seems to be getting better.
"Usually they say it's a five-day virus so I'm hoping to get better by the weekend.
"But sometimes it's better when you're sick because you're not thinking so much about technique and external factors. You just sort of try to get through the round and you tend to concentrate on one shot at a time, rather than look at the bigger picture and that worked in my favour."
