India, Dec. 26 -- Former England captain Alastair Cook was critical of the Melbourne Cricket Ground pitch after a frenetic opening day of the Boxing Day Test, which saw all 20 wickets fall. Australia and England struggled to settle at the crease as the ball swung noticeably through the air and seamed unpredictably off the pitch. Even well-set batters found it hard to trust the bounce, with constant movement forcing mistakes. The challenging conditions were reflected in the scorecard, with not a single batter managing to register a half-century across the day.

The MCG has long carried a reputation for offering a fair contest between bat and ball, but that balance was missing on Friday. Sent in to bat first, Australia were skittled out for...