"Hoping For...": Ben Stokes Provides Update Post Knee Surgery

Star England all-rounder Ben Stokes on Friday said that his rehabilitation after a knee surgery last month has been going on well and he's hoping to make further progress in the next two weeks. Stokes underwent a successful surgery on his left knee on November 29 in a bid to stay fit for the Test series in India, beginning January next year. The 32-year-old had been struggling with long-standing issues on his left knee before undergoing surgery. He was unable to bowl in the final three Ashes Tests against Australia this year and only featured as a batter at the recent World Cup in India, with his body unable to cope with the rigours of bowling.

On Friday, Stokes took to Instagram to share a video of his workout in the gym following the surgery, which mainly involved small 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," he wrote.

"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," said the England Test captain.

A post shared by Ben Stokes (@stokesy)

Stokes is aiming for a return to competitive cricket soon, especially eyeing England's Test tour of India next month, starting in Hyderabad on January 25.

However, England men's managing director Rob Key had earlier clarified that Stokes would only be playing the series as a specialised batter and would not be bowling, if he is available.

"His surgery has been a success. We are expecting him to be fit, but we are not expecting him to be able to bowl," Key had told BBC earlier this week.

"We never had him down to be bowling in India. This is part of an ongoing process in terms of getting him