India vs England 2nd Test, Day 5 Weather Update: Will Rain Deny India Historic Win At Edgbaston, Birmingham? | Cricket News

IND vs ENG: India have placed themselves in a commanding position heading into Day 5 of the second Test against England at Edgbaston, Birmingham. After setting an enormous 608-run target, the visitors reduced England to 72/3 by stumps on Day 4. With just seven wickets needed for victory and 536 runs still required by the hosts, India are in complete control.

Young pacer Akash Deep continued to impress, claiming two crucial wickets, while Mohammed Siraj chipped in with the dismissal of Zak Crawley. England’s overnight batters Ollie Pope (24) and Harry Brook (15) will need to stage a near-impossible resistance to salvage a draw.

Gill’s Twin Tons, India’s Batting Pile On the Pressure

Captain Shubman Gill led from the front once again with a classy second century in the match. His efforts were complemented by half-centuries from Ravindra Jadeja, KL Rahul, and Rishabh Pant as India declared their second innings at 427, giving them a mammoth lead.

Gill’s calm leadership and stellar form with the bat have been central to India’s turnaround in the series after their loss in Leeds. The team’s collective batting performance has now given the bowlers ample room to attack on Day 5.

IND vs ENG Day 5: Rain To Play Spoilsport

However, India’s march towards victory might face an obstacle in the form of weather. As per the local meteorological department, there is a 79% chance of rain at 7 AM local time, just hours before the scheduled start at 10 AM. Fortunately, conditions are expected to improve as the day progresses, with rain probability dropping to 22% by 1 PM.

AccuWeather also predicts possible morning showers and wind gusts up to 50 km/h, along with a slight 12% chance of thunderstorms. Temperatures could dip to 20°C, and another overcast morning is expected, potentially delaying play until after lunch.

If rain shortens play, England could use the limited overs to push for a draw their best possible outcome given the current match situation.

Edgbaston: A Fortress Yet to Be Conquered

Historically, Edgbaston hasn’t been a happy hunting ground for India. In eight previous Tests at this venue, they have lost seven and drawn one, with zero wins. The only draw came in the 1986 series under Kapil Dev’s captaincy. With such a record, a win here would mark a significant milestone for the Indian team, rewriting their history at this venue.

If rain stays away and India bowl well, they have nearly 90 overs to take the remaining seven wickets a task that looks very achievable given the conditions and momentum.

IND vs ENG 2nd Test: Playing XIs

India: Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Karun Nair, Shubman Gill (c), Rishabh Pant (wk), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Akash Deep, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna

England: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (c), Jamie Smith (wk), Chris Woakes, Brydon Carse, Josh Tongue, Shoaib Bashir