Edgbaston Test on Knife-Edge: Rain Looms as India Eyes Historic Victory 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)

The weather in Birmingham on Sunday looms as a potential disruptor, threatening India's chances of securing a series-levelling victory in the second Test against England at Edgbaston.

India currently holds a commanding position, largely thanks to the exceptional performance of captain Shubman Gill. Gill achieved a unique feat, becoming the first batsman in Test history to record scores of 250 and 150 in the same match. Furthermore, the dynamic bowling duo of Mohammed Siraj and Akash Deep once again proved their mettle, striking crucial blows with the new ball as the tourists push for a series-equalizing win.

Gill's remarkable innings of 161 off just 162 balls followed his first-innings score of 267. He eventually declared India's second innings at 427-6 after tea on the fourth day.

This declaration set England an imposing target of 608 runs to take a 2-0 lead in the five-match series.

However, weather forecasts indicate a cloudy start to the day with light showers anticipated between 9 am and 11 am. These early showers could potentially delay the start of play and revitalize the pitch, offering seam bowlers assistance due to 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 a 50% to 30% chance of rain between 10 am and 2 pm local time (7:30 pm IST). The forecast suggests 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 Imposing Task Ahead for England

Throughout the 148-year history of Test cricket, no team has successfully chased a higher score in the fourth innings than the West Indies, who scored 418 against Australia in St John's in 2003.

England's own record stands at 378, achieved against India at Edgbaston three years ago.

At the close of play on Saturday in Birmingham, England were 72-3, requiring a further 536 runs on the final day to secure a victory that would be remarkable even by the standards of their current aggressive 'Bazball' approach.

Mohammed Siraj, who spearheaded India's attack with figures of 6-70 in the first innings, made an early breakthrough on Saturday by dismissing Zak Crawley for a duck.

Akash Deep, tasked with filling the shoes of the world's top-ranked fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah, continued his impressive performance from the first innings by bowling left-hander Ben Duckett (25) with a ball that nipped back sharply.

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