Birmingham, July 6 (IANS) The start of day five play in the second Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy Test between India and England has been delayed due to rain at Edgbaston on Sunday. India need seven wickets on the final day of the match to level the five-match series 1-1.

The United Kingdom Met Office, national meteorological service, had predicted showers to come on Sunday and covers were very much on the pitch and playing square when broadcast visuals came on air. After some time, the rain had stopped, covers came off and the sun shone for a bit before heading back behind some dark clouds.

But around 3 pm India time, it started to rain cats and dogs at the venue, with the outfield resembling a swimming pool and water puddles being formed near the covers. With the met department saying the forecast is better later on and rain will go away, it remains to be seen if India will get enough time to pick remaining seven wickets and register their first-ever Test victory in Birmingham.

If the first session gets washed out due to rain, it would mean that India won’t have the usual 90 overs quota to have a crack at winning the match. On day four, India captain Shubman Gill followed up his first-innings score of a career-best 269 with a gorgeous 161 and helped India to declare at 427/6, before Akash Deep and Mohammed Siraj fired with the new ball to leave England in trouble.

Gill has aggregated 430 runs in the match, the second most in a Test after Graham Gooch’s 456 versus India in 1990. The Indian captain also became the first batter to score 200 and 150 in the same Test match. The declaration meant England were set a daunting target of 608 runs and had lost three wickets in the final session and were reeling at 72/3 at stumps, with Ollie Pope at 24 not out and Harry Brook being unbeaten on 15.

With 536 runs remaining to be made and rain hampering an on time start of day time, it would be interesting to see if England push for a draw or continue in their Bazball ways. The last time England drew a Test match was during the 2023 Ashes because of rain.

–IANS

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