ENG vs IND 2025: 'England winning from here seems improbable' - Aakash Chopra shares views on state of Edgbaston Test

India posted a massive score of 587 in the first innings of the second Test against England in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy at Edgbaston, Birmingham. Captain Shubman Gill led from the front, scoring a record-shattering 269 runs off 387 deliveries, while Ravindra Jadeja (89) and Yashasvi Jaiswal (87) also made significant contributions. At the end of Day 2, England lost three wickets, adding only 77 runs. The tourists are trailing by another 510 runs, and they will have their task cut out on Day 3.

Aakash Chopra feels that India have posted a big enough score in the first innings, and the match can now end either in a draw or a win for Shubman's men. The cricketer-turned-expert mentioned that a victory for England seems highly unlikely in this situation.

"You have scored enough runs to feel you are in a great space. Logically speaking, if we turn back the pages of Test cricket history, only one team can win from here, that is Team India, or else the match can end in a draw. England winning from here seems improbable," Chopra said while speaking on his official YouTube channel.

However, Chopra mentioned Test cricket's evolution in recent times and how teams have scored their runs at rapid rates, especially England.

"However, things have changed dramatically because modern-day Test cricket has been played differently, the way people are approaching the game, and the speed at which it is going, and England is one side that does that," he observed.

If you see the conditions, pitches have become flatter: Aakash Chopra

Chopra opined that the conditions in England have become more batting-friendly, with the surfaces being on the flatter side. He also predicted that the pitch for the third Test at Lord's will also be good for batting.

"If you see the conditions, pitches have become flatter, whether you play at Headingley or Edgbaston. I am saying you will get a flat pitch at Lord's as well. The typical and traditional English conditions, where you have to play cautiously, are part of the pages of history," he said.

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The former India opener also noted that the boundary sizes have been drastically reduced to encourage run-scoring.

"These are not that difficult conditions to bat. If you see the boundaries, the Edgbaston boundaries have been kept at 60 meters because Bazball encourages you to play shots in the air. Mishits should go for sixes, you should get fours easily, and the scoring rate should be fast," Chopra observed.