Digvijay Singh of the DLF Golf & Country Club posted a seven-under 65 in the opening round to be placed second.
Rashid, who was runners-up at last year's BILT Open, made an ideal start to the tournament with a bogey-free 64. The three-time winner on the PGTI had a quiet front-nine as he picked up just two birdies on the second and eighth. Rashid chipped-in from the edge for birdie on the eighth.
He then sank a 20-footer on the 11th and landed his third shot from 150 yards out to within a foot of the flag on the 12th. Rashid's tee shot on the par-3 14th also stopped within a foot of the pin to give him another birdie. The wiry golfer collected a birdie on the par-5 15th before making his second chip-in of the day for birdie on the 16th.
Rashid, currently placed fifth on the Rolex Rankings, said: "I had a good opening round after a long time. I had two chip-ins today and landed it within a foot on two occasions. I've shot some good scores at this course in the past including a 66 earlier this year during the Avantha Masters. I'm therefore confident of performing well this week. It's now a matter of capitalising on this fabulous start."
