Edgbaston Test on Edge: Rain Threatens to Dampen India's Victory Push Against England

India's captain Shubman Gill celebrates after scoring a century during day four of the second cricket test match between England and India at Edgbaston in Birmingham, England, Saturday, July 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Scott Heppell)

Birmingham's weather on Sunday could be a major factor in India's quest to level the series 1-1 in the second Test against England at Edgbaston.

India holds a commanding position, largely thanks to Shubman Gill's exceptional performance. Gill became the first batsman in Test history to record scores of 250 and 150 in the same match. Furthermore, the combined efforts of Mohammed Siraj and Akash Deep with the new ball have put the tourists in a strong position for a series-levelling victory.

Gill followed up his first-innings score of 267 with a remarkable 161 off just 162 balls in the second Test.

He eventually declared India's second innings at 427-6 after tea on the fourth day. This set England a daunting target of 608 runs to take a 2-0 lead in the five-match series.

However, weather forecasts suggest that the morning will begin with overcast skies and light showers expected between 9 and 11 am. These early interruptions could delay the start of play and potentially rejuvenate the pitch, offering seamers assistance due to the lingering moisture.

According to the UK Met Office, the first part of the day in Birmingham is likely to be affected by wet weather, with rain probabilities ranging from 50% to 30% between 10 am and 2 pm local time (7:30 pm IST). The forecast does indicate that "heavy rain will give way to overcast skies by lunchtime," and the likelihood of further showers will decrease to below 10% after 3 pm.

The highest successful fourth-innings run chase in Test cricket history remains the West Indies' 418 against Australia in St John's in 2003.

England's corresponding record is the 378 they scored against India at Edgbaston three years ago.

At the close of play on Saturday in Birmingham, England stood at 72-3, needing another 536 runs on the final day for a win that would be remarkable even by the standards of their current 'Bazball' era of aggressive batting.

Mohammed Siraj, who spearheaded India's attack with figures of 6-70 in the first innings, made an early breakthrough on Saturday when he dismissed Zak Crawley for a duck, with a loose drive finding backward point.

Akash Deep, tasked with filling the shoes of the world’s number one-ranked fast bowler, Jasprit Bumrah, continued his impressive performance from his four-wicket haul in the first innings by bowling left-hander Ben Duckett (25) with a ball that nipped back.

He then clean bowled Joe Root for just six, with the world’s number one-ranked Test batsman undone by a superb full-length delivery that moved away late.