India, Dec. 28 -- The Melbourne Cricket Ground pitch offered no respite after a frenetic opening day of the Boxing Day Test, where all 20 wickets tumbled, and the contest raced towards an early finish, eventually ending inside two days with England emerging on top. Batting was a constant battle for both Australia and England, as the ball swung appreciably and seamed sharply off the surface. Even set batters found it hard to settle, with uneven bounce and persistent movement forcing mistakes and triggering a steady flow of wickets.

Batting great Sunil Gavaskar struck a sharp, sarcastic note while reacting to yet another two-day Test in Australia, pointing out the irony of the Perth pitch earlier in the series receiving a "very good" ratin...