Jyoti Randhawa returned a tournament best eight-under 64 to overtake S S P Chowrasia and Vijay Kumar and became the sole leader after the penultimate round of the $400,000 Hero Honda Indian Open golf in Delhi on Saturday.

Randhawa rose four places to the top after his scintillating show, which was studded with nine birdies. The seasoned pro, with a three-day total of 16-under 200, was followed, a shot behind, by Chowrasia, who fired a 67 for the second spot.

Tournament favourite Simon Dyson (68) was in the third spot with a three-day score of 13-under 203.

Defending Champion Thaworn Wiratchant (68) continued his impressive rise after a disastrous start and was tied for the 19th position with a total of six-under 210 along with Shiv Kapur, who carded a 69.

Randhawa, meanwhile, could have had a two-shot lead but for a dropped shot on the seventh -- a two putt from the edge of the green, which was his only miss of the day. The 34-year-old got off to a great start as he fired a hat-trick of birdies from the second to the fourth hole.

After stumbling to the seventh hole bogey, Randhawa fired a brace of birdies on the last two holes of his front nine.

On his way back, the 34-year-old started with a birdie on the 10th and ended in a similar fashion after gaining two shots in between to take the lead.

''It was a satisfying round for me. I missed two shot putts but getting a bit aggressive towards the end paid off,'' Randhawa later said about his performance.

Chowrasia, meanwhile, could not replicate yesterday's blemish-free show but continued to be impressive as he mixed five-birdies and an eagle with two bogeys.

Chowrasia was off to a great start once again as he sank in a birdie on the first hole but a bogey on the very next pulled him back. He, however, compensated for the lapse by gaining shot on the fifth and eighth.

Chowrasia later said that he was not disappointed to lose the overnight lead and try to be at his best in the final round.

''It's good that I am trailing. The situation makes it easier for me to attack tomorrow. Otherwise, if you lead from the beginning you tend to play safe,'' he said.

Among the other Indians, Gaurav Ghei returned the day's second best card of 65 to enter the top 10 at the tied fourth position.

Ghei's blemish-free performance, which included seven birdies, took his tally to 12-under 204 after three rounds.

Ghei shared the position with Vijay (70) and Mukesh Kumar (66).

Vijay, who led the field after the first two rounds, recovered from an eventful front nine, which saw him mix three birdies with a bogey and a double bogey.

Rahil Gangjee (69) slipped two places to tied seventh after accumulating a total of 10-under 206.