Edgbaston Test in the Balance: Rain Threatens India's Victory Push Against England

The weather in Birmingham on Sunday could significantly impact India's chances of leveling the series 1-1 in the second Test against England at Edgbaston.

India currently holds a dominant position, largely thanks to captain Shubman Gill, who achieved the unique feat of scoring 250 and 150 in the same match. Furthermore, the strong performances of Mohammed Siraj and Akash Deep with the new ball have boosted the team's prospects for a series-leveling win.

Gill followed his impressive first-innings score of 267 with another remarkable knock of 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 an imposing target of 608 runs to win the five-match series 2-0.

However, weather forecasts suggest that the morning will begin with overcast skies and light showers expected between 9 am and 11 am. These early interruptions could potentially delay the start of play and introduce fresh life into the pitch, providing assistance to the seam bowlers due to the lingering moisture.

According to the UK Met Office, wet weather is likely to affect the first part of the day in Birmingham, with rain probabilities ranging from 50% to 30% between 10 am and 2 pm local time. However, the forecast indicates that "heavy rain will give way to overcast skies by lunchtime," and the chance of further showers will decrease to below 10% after 3 pm.

Historically, no team in the 148 years of Test cricket has successfully chased a higher target in the fourth innings than 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 were 72-3, requiring a further 536 runs on the final day to achieve a victory that would be remarkable, even in their current aggressive 'Bazball' era.

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 number one-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 in. 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.