Chikka, as he is fondly called, chasing for a third Asian Development Tour (ADT) victory and a first outside of India, fired six birdies to lead by two shots on 17-under-par 199 alongside Lin, who returned with a flawless 65, at the National Golf and Country Club.
2014 ADT Order of Merit champion Pavit Tangkamolprasert of Thailand matched Chikka's efforts for the day to sit in third place on his own while compatriot Phachara Khongwatmai (65) and American Johannes Veerman (68) shared fourth spot on 203.
"I am really happy with this new record. It has been going really well for me. I hope I can continue the good run tomorrow. I am hitting it good and putting it good. It's going to be another day for me. Hopefully I can have another big round again," said the 22-year-old Indian.
"I really enjoyed playing with Lin. I learnt a lot from him. The weather was so good and I just had so much fun out there. Lin and I were playing shot by shot and we made birdies after birdies. It was a great experience playing alongside such an accomplished golfer like Lin," added Chikka.
Pavit, a four-time ADT winner but not since 2014, took advantage of his sharp iron-play to stay close to the leaders.
The winner of the Charming Yeangder ADT will take home a prize purse of USD 26,250 and receive six Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) points.