Revised Title: Edgbaston Test Under Threat: Rain Clouds Loom as India Eyes Historic Series-Leveling Win vs. 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 threatens to disrupt India's quest to level 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 a unique feat by scoring 250 and 150 in the same match. Further bolstering their advantage, Mohammed Siraj and Akash Deep delivered impactful performances with the new ball, intensifying the pressure on the hosts.

Gill's impressive innings of 161 off 162 balls followed his first-innings score of 267. He eventually declared India's second innings at 427-6 on the fourth day, setting England a daunting target of 608 runs to win the five-match series 2-0.

However, weather forecasts suggest that the morning session could be affected by overcast skies and light showers expected between 9 am and 11 am. These potential interruptions could delay the start of play and introduce added moisture to the pitch, potentially benefiting the seam bowlers.

According to the UK Met Office, wet weather is anticipated to impact the early part of the day in Birmingham. The probability of rain ranges from 50% to 30% between 10 am and 2 pm local time (7:30 pm IST). The forecast indicates that "heavy rain will give way to overcast skies by lunchtime," with the chance of further showers decreasing to below 10% after 3 pm.

Throughout the 148-year history of Test cricket, no team 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 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 another 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 number one-ranked fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah, built on his first-innings performance by bowling left-hander Ben Duckett (25) with a ball that nipped back.

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