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India vs England Birmingham weather forecast, Day 5: Rain threat casts shadow on Shubman Gill’s delayed declaration
The weather forecast has good news and bad news as far as both teams are concerned heading into the fifth day of the Edgbaston Test.
Was Harry Brook lying and just trying to psych Shubman Gill out when he bantered with the Indian captain about rain ruining India’s hopes for a win on day five of the Edgbaston Test? Rain is definitely expected on day five of this enthralling Test match, so the England batter was definitely aware of what was to come — but it is by no means doom and gloom for India, with the weather forecast suggesting that it should build up to be a really exciting day of cricket in Birmingham.
Birmingham did receive rain overnight between days four and five, and the rain is continued to expected to continue through to the morning. As per BBC Weather, there is a 90% chance of rain at 9 AM, an hour before play is set to begin at Edgbaston, which means it will be a busy morning for the groundstaff as they race to ensure maximum amount of play is possible through the day.
Day 5 Live Blog: IND vs ENG Live Updates, India vs England Test Series Day 5
It falls to 65% at 10 AM, and continues dropping to 45% and below in the hours following. What this indicates is that it might be a wet start to the day, with each over being lost a painful one for India, and one over closer to survival for the hosts.
Green light expected throughout late afternoon and evening
However, it falls to 20% chance around 2 PM, meaning the final 4 hours of play should go ahead uninterrupted, and present India a chance to seal a famous late win if they can squeeze enough overs in. India will be hoping that the grounds crew in Birmingham is prepared for a potentially stop-start day and to prevent any issues in terms of delays due to wet outfield or the like, to maximise their chances after having taken three English wickets before stumps on day 4, and needing only 7 more to level the series at 1-1.
India’s hopes will be bolstered by low temperatures and a cloud cover throughout, with the wind speed also playing into their hands. However, a big hope for India will be to use the second new ball if they need it, with that being the key to the damage they caused in the first innings. Another 64 overs needed until it is available.
