2nd Test: India brace rain threat to level series at Edgbaston on final day

Birmingham, July 6 (IANS) Ahead of the all-important fifth day of the second Test between India and England at Edgbaston, Birmingham received morning showers just hours before the start of play on Sunday.

With India looking to level the series on the fifth day, rain poses a big threat to India's ambition of winning the clash. The visiting pacers rattled England’s top order, leaving the hosts with a mountain to climb on the final day.

Heading into Day 5, India are in a commanding position, with England still requiring 536 runs to chase down a mammoth target of 608 in Birmingham.

According to BBC Weather, there is a 90 per cent chance of rain at 9 am (local time) - an hour before play is scheduled to begin at Edgbaston - which means the groundstaff will have a busy morning trying to ensure as much play as possible throughout the day.

The rain threat decreases to 65 per cent by 10 am and continues to drop to 45 per cent and lower in the following hours. This suggests a potentially wet start to the day, where every lost over could be costly for India and beneficial for the hosts, bringing them one step closer to a draw.

However, by around 2 pm, the chance of rain falls to just 20 per cent, indicating that the final four hours of play could proceed without interruption. This window could give India a real opportunity to push for a memorable late victory - provided they can fit in enough overs.

In the final session of Day 4, Mohammed Siraj and Akash Deep made early inroads into England’s lineup, dismissing openers Zak Crawley (0) and Ben Duckett (25), before removing the world’s top-ranked Test batter, Joe Root, within the first 11 overs of the innings. The fiery spell firmly placed India in control as they aim to square the series.

Earlier in the day, India captain Shubman Gill once again led from the front, smashing a sublime 161 off 162 balls in the second innings. The 25-year-old’s fluent knock took his match total to a staggering 430 runs - after his 269 in the first innings - making it the second-highest run tally in a single Test match, only behind Graham Gooch’s 456 against India in 1990.

--IANS

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