"I am very happy my hard work has paid off with the first five-wicket haul. I think I can do better," said Balaji, who finished with 5-76 to help his team dismiss Pakistan for 312 on the opening day of the match.

Balaji said tips from former Australian fast bowler Dennis Lillee helped him a lot in his comeback match after nearly a year out of Test cricket due to an injury.

"It is always challenging to stage a comeback after injury but I worked really hard. I sought help from Australian great Dennis Lillee who advised me to change the bowling action a little bit," said Balaji, 23.

"And it all paid off here."

Balaji removed Taufeeq Umar (44) in his first spell before accounting for all-rounder Abdul Razzaq in the second.

He then took three wickets with the new ball to better his previous best of 4-63, also against Pakistan at Rawalpindi last year.

He said his five-wicket performance against Pakistan was special.

"Yes, it's always challenging to play against Pakistan. If you do well against them, it's something very special," he said.

He said Pakistan's gutsy lower-order batting virtually ruined India's day after the hosts had seized the initiative in the first two sessions.

"Lower-order batsmen have been doing well these days, but we kept a tight line and knew the batsmen will make mistakes," he said.

Meanwhile, Pakistan's saviour Asim Kamal was disappointed after missing out on a century in the first Test on Tuesday, but said the three-figure knock would come soon.

"I can't describe how disappointed I am," Kamal, 28, told reporters after his stubborn 91 under pressure on a seamer-friendly track.

"It's part of the game, but I am happy that I lived up to the task," said Kamal, who was dismissed for 99 on his Test debut against South Africa at Lahore in October 2003.

The Karachi native also came close to scoring a century this year when he made 89 against Australia in Sydney.

"I never felt pressure in the nineties but you may call it bad luck," he said, adding pressure had always spurred him on.

"When I walked in our score was 104-4, so (captain) Inzamamul Haq told me to stay at the wicket and wait for the loose delivery and I did exactly that."

Kamal described the pitch as "sporting" and hoped it would support both bowlers and batsmen.