Edgbaston Weather And Pitch Report: Rain Set To Force Delayed Start In India vs England 2nd Test?

India aim to snap a winless streak at the Edgbaston in BirmiTests in total at the venue, losing seven while one was a draw all the way back in 1986. Already trailing 0-1 in the series, India will have to put in some extra hard yards, especially the bowlers, as pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah is likely to be rested to manage his workload. India lost the Leeds Test despite five of their batters scoring centuries. Only once before has a team lost a Test after registering four hundreds.

However, Birmingham's altering weather conditions could play a spoilsport. According to BBC, there is a forecast of rain between 9 AM (1 PM IST) and 10 AM (2 PM IST) local time. In that case, the toss might get delayed if the rain is heavy in the morning. Fans might have to also witness a delayed start to the contest.

Pitch report

The weather has not been typical in the lead up to the match. It rained a lot and the sun was shining. Just like Leeds, Edgbaston, this time, also seems to be a bowl-first pitch.

However, the team batting second has won each of the last four Tests at Edgbaston, including England's win over India in 2022, when they pulled off their highest-ever successful chase.

India captain Shubman Gill has not ruled out the possibility of playing a second spinner at Birmingham.

"It is not common to see two spinners in England. But the weather was not typical. It rained a lot and the sun was shining. In the last match also, if we had an extra spinner in the 4th inning, the game could have been better. There were some patches in the wicket which we could have exploited," he said on the eve of the game.

India would be tempted to play Kuldeep, who has just played one Test against England in England, going wicketless, back in the 2018-19 series.

(With Agency Inputs)

Topics mentioned in this article

England Cricket Team India Cricket Team England vs India, 2nd Test England vs India, 2025 Edgbaston, Birmingham Cricket