India vs England Weather Forecast And Pitch Report Of Edgbaston Cricket Ground, Birmingham, 5th Test- IND tour of ENG 2022

India vs England Weather Forecast And Pitch Report Of Edgbaston Cricket Ground, Birmingham, 5th Test- IND tour of ENG 2022. India came back strongly from a 99-run deficit to win the 4th Test match comfortably by massive 151 runs last time these two teams met in September 2021 for the fourth Test match. The Indian team was all over England and looked all set to win the Test series in English conditions, but the last Test was rescheduled due to Covid-19 with India leading the series 2-1.

A lot has changed from that Test with new captains in charge for both teams. England has found new energy and enthusiasm with Brendon McCullum- Ben Stokes duo that steered them to a scintillating 3-1 series win over New Zealand. India on the other hand has made a few changes to their batting line-up and is looking to find their best possible XI that could give them the balance and depth here.

England’s middle order of Joe Root (2 centuries & 1 fifty), Jonny Bairstow (2 centuries & 1 fifty), and Ollie Pope (1 century & 1 fifty) piled on the runs in the last home series against New Zealand recently. Newly-appointed skipper Ben Stokes (2 fifties) and Alex Lees (1 fifty) fared better and made valuable contributions to the team. Zak Crawley’s form and Ben Foakes’ availability are their concerns going into this Test match.

The duo of James Anderson and Stuart Broad re-joined together as they miss a plethora of fast bowlers due to injury. Newcomers Matty Potts and Jamie Overton were very impressive in their debut series and will be looking to get into action in this match. Jack Leach comes into this match on the back of his twin 5-wicket haul and 10-wicket match haul into this match.

India`s batting line-up has a couple of puzzles to solve in their selection and skipper Rohit Sharma’s availability after he tested Covid-19 positive further causes concern to the visitors. Virat Kohli, Shubman Gill, Rishabh Pant, and Shreyas Iyer are the sure-shot players in the XI with Cheteshwar Pujara expected to get the nod ahead at No.3. The likes of Hanuma Vihari, Mayank Agarwal, or KS Bharat might slot in at the top if Rohit Sharma is unavailable.

Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami are expected to lead the Indian pace attack with Shardul Thakur expected to slot in as the pace all-rounder. Mohammed Siraj might slightly pip Umesh Yadav for the third seamer’s spot in this match. Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin will be in a tussle for the spinner’s slot and the former might get a nod in owing to his superior batting skills.

Indian captain Rohit Sharma is reportedly ruled out of the fifth and final rescheduled Test match against England beginning on 1 July 2022 (Friday) at the Edgbaston in Birmingham. Just a few days back, Rohit Sharma tested positive for COVID-19 during the warm-up Test match against Leicestershire and was placed into strict isolation. India has a 2-1 lead in the five-match Test series against England.

It is also understood that right-arm speedster Jasprit Bumrah will captain the Indian Test side against England in the absence of Rohit Sharma. This is the first time in 35 years that a fast bowler will lead the Indian Test team after former legendary cricketer Kapil Dev.

If India clinches a win or manages a draw in this Test, then this would be the fourth time where the Asian side will win a Test series in England. The side has won a Test series in England in 1971, 1986, and 2007 before this.

India vs England Weather Forecast And Pitch Report Of Edgbaston Cricket Ground, Birmingham, 5th Test- IND tour of ENG 2022

England has played 53 Tests at the venue, winning 28 of them losing 10, and drawing the remaining 15. On the other hand, India has played 7 matches at Edgbaston and lost 6 of them and drawn 1. So, England has a good advantage going to the 5th Test.

Edgbaston is often known as a good pitch for batting but the bowlers too have some grip at this venue. But this is not a grassy pitch like the one usually seen at Lord’s or Old Trafford or a completely flat track that is often seen at Trent Bridge. Batters need to apply to score runs here, and the bowlers too get some purchase in the form of bounce, seam, or turn.

Edgbaston is expected to have a spicy pitch which offers lateral movement for the bowlers considerably. Teams will be looking to post 300-350 runs on the board in the first innings to get an upper hand. Batting first is the best option on this pitch unless there are overcast conditions on the first day. Chasing in the fourth innings becomes very difficult on this pitch.

Birmingham is expected to have dark and cloudy weather for the first 3 days and the weather improves on day 4 with sunshine expected.

July 1: There is a 71 per cent of a chance of rain on Day 1 of the Test with the temperature hovering around 20 degrees Celcius, which is the common temperature in England at that time.

July 2: There are 79% chances of rain on Day 2 of the Test in the daytime when the temperature will be 18 degrees Celcius.

July 3: There are 42% chances of rain on Day 3 when the temperature will be 19 degrees Celcius.

July 4: The Day 4 of the Test has only 17 per cent chances of rain with occasional cloudy periods marking the play. The temperature will be 19 degrees Celcius.

July 5: The final 5th Day of the Test perhaps offers the best day too with only a 10 per cent chance of rain. Temperature too goes a notch above 19 degrees with plenty of sunshine.