Rain in Birmingham ahead of Day 5 of ENG vs IND 2025 2nd Test

The second Test of the five-match series between England and India, played at Edgbaston, Birmingham, is all set to conclude with the fifth and final day on Sunday, July 6.

With play set to begin at 3:30 p.m. IST, the skies have opened up with rain in Birmingham just a couple of hours ahead of the scheduled start of play. Rain did loom large in the forecast for the final day, and the skies appeared cloudy.

Cloud cover is expected. While it is currently raining in Birmingham, the UK Met Office forecast suggests it will continue until about 11 a.m. (local time) and then decrease in percentage.

As the teams hope for better weather, a delayed start and rain interruptions in between could occur.

With steady rain at the moment, the skies are expected to ease up later in the day. India, in particular, will be hoping for the weather not to play spoilsport on the final day as they are 0-1 down in the series, having lost the opening Test.

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India's golden opportunity to create history at Birmingham

In the eight Test matches India have played in Birmingham (before the ongoing second Test), they have never managed to win a single game at this venue, having a poor record.

India have lost seven Tests at Birmingham with just one draw so far. The last time they played here in 2022, which was the fifth rescheduled Test of the 2021 series, they faced a seven-wicket defeat.

This time around, the visitors have a golden opportunity to break the jinx and register their first Test win at the venue. They are in a dominating position heading into the fifth day and on the cusp of a historic win. India declared their second innings at 427/6 on day four, setting England a mammoth target of 608 runs. Moreover, they also managed to pick three wickets before the close of play, strengthening their position.

As things stand, India need just seven more wickets to win this Test, while England need 536 more runs to win.