Gandas, of DLF, had two bogeys on his way out and a birdie, to finish the first nine holes in 36, but came back strongly on the back nine with three birdies for a card of two-under 68 at the Bombay Presidency Golf Club in Chembur.
Sharma (ITC Classic Golf Resort) and Viraj Madappa (Tollygunge Club) were trailing behind the leader by carding an identical round of 69.
In the Under-14 age group, local boy from BPGC - Virajeet Sandu, Piyush Sangwan of DLF and Tanvir Kahlon, hailing from Air Force GC, Delhi, were joint leaders after they carded five-over 75.
The tournament is being contested over four rounds of 18 holes each and points earned determine rankings through which the Indian Golf Union (IGU) makes selections for the Asia-Pacific Junior Championship in Thailand and the Malaysian Junior Open.
The winner of the All India Juniors Tour would get a chance to play in the prestigious international Duke of York Tournament.
Leading scores after 18 holes:
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Under-18: Manu Gandas 68, Shubhankar Sharma 69, Viraj Madappa 69, Yashas Chandar 71, Roshan Raj 71.
Under-14: Virajeet Sandu 75, Piyush Sangwan 75, Tanvir Kahlon 75, Karandeep Kochar 76, K Surya Kumar 77.