India on the Brink of Historic Victory at Edgbaston: Can England Hold On?

India's Path to Victory in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy Test

Birmingham: Following a lengthy rain delay, Akash Deep and Washington Sundar made significant breakthroughs as India moved closer to a remarkable win, reducing England to 153/6 in 40.3 overs during the lunch break on the fifth day of the second Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy Test at Edgbaston.

With England needing 455 runs to win, Jamie Smith, who remains not out on 32, must now step up to prevent India from achieving a series-tying victory, which would mark their first Test win at this venue. With 55.3 overs remaining in the day, India is optimistic about claiming the final four wickets.

Akash initiated India's charge towards victory by dismissing overnight batsmen Ollie Pope and Harry Brook early in the morning session. Washington's removal of England captain Ben Stokes just before lunch further solidified India's position for a significant win.

Akash, who had previously taken out Ben Duckett and Joe Root in a brilliant spell on Saturday, made an impactful start in his second over of the day. He generated extra bounce on a back-of-a-length delivery that struck Ollie Pope on the elbow and deflected onto the stumps.

He then sharply turned one back into Brook, trapping him lbw, with the review not favoring him as ball tracking indicated it would have clipped the top of middle stump on 'umpire's call.'

Smith, who scored an unbeaten 184 in the first innings, managed to hit three quick boundaries off Akash, while Stokes displayed some commanding batting by hitting Mohammed Siraj for four boundaries. Ravindra Jadeja's spin troubled both Smith and Stokes, who has struggled against the experienced left-arm spinner.

After Jadeja completed the 40th over in under 100 seconds, it proved crucial, as Stokes was trapped lbw while attempting a forward defense against Washington. Stokes opted for a review, but the ball's late drift and turn struck his pad first, confirming it would hit the stumps, leaving him and England in despair as India edged closer to victory.

Brief Scores: India 587 and 427/6 declared in 83 overs (Shubman Gill 161, Ravindra Jadeja 69 not out; Josh Tongue 2-93, Shoaib Bashir 2-119) lead England 407 and 153/6 in 40.3 overs (Ben Stokes 33, Jamie Smith 32 not out; Akash Deep 4-58, Washington Sundar 1-2) by 455 runs.