England all-rounder Ben Stokes said that his recovery from knee surgery last month is progressing well and that he expects to improve more in the next two weeks. The England Test Captain underwent successful surgery on his left knee on November 29 in order to be ready for the upcoming five-match Test series in India, which begins in January 2024.
Ben Stokes last appeared in the 2023 World Cup, where he scored 304 runs in six games, including two half-centuries. He came out of retirement for the massive ICC event, but England fell short as defending champions in the marquee event on Indian conditions despite walking as one of the favourites to win the championship.
Ben Stokes took to Instagram on Friday to share a video of his post-surgery training in the gym, which primarily consisted of tiny squats.
“2 week post knee op. First 2 weeks was just relentless icing to get the swelling down and very small amounts of exercises to keep my knee moving, Great to be able to start some work in the gym, hoping for good progression over the next 2 weeks. Rehab been going really well,” Ben Stokes wrote on his Instagram handle.
England Skipper Ben Stokes had a strong year with the bat in 2023, amassing 515 runs at a 39.61 average. His experience and ability to handle pressure will be vital, and his imaginative field configurations will undoubtedly draw attention across the five Tests. England will hope he can provide some overs when needed, with the team going in a spin-heavy bowling attack on Indian conditions.
We Never Had Ben Stokes Down To Be Bowling In India – Rob Key
England’s managing director of cricket Rob Key has outlined the captain’s role in the next crucial Test series against India. The popular belief was that after surgery, Ben Stokes would charge in with the ball, but Key has clarified that this is not the case for the time being.
“His surgery has been a success. We are expecting him to be fit, but we are not expecting him to be able to bowl, We never had him down to be bowling in India. This is part of an ongoing process in terms of getting him back to bowling,” Rob Key said.
England has picked four pacers to the team for the India Tests, including James Anderson, Ollie Robinson, Mark Wood, and Gus Atkinson. With the conditions favouring the spinners, the most aggressive Test team has also chosen four spinners in the squad and would be keen to win a test series in India after a long time.
