England Test captain Ben Stokes undergoes knee surgery and starts rehab ahead of India tour

England Test captain Ben Stokes underwent a successful knee surgery and has commenced rehabilitation. Stokes has not been able to bowl much due to knee issues, which have hindered him for months.

A chronic tendonitis in his left knee forced the talismanic English player to play as a specialist batter of late. He played the same role in the recently concluded ODI World Cup in India.

However, with a crucial 5-match Test series in India coming up early next year, Ben Stokes opted to go for surgery in a bid to regain optimum fitness and fulfill his role as an all-rounder.

Stokes took to his official X handle and gave a positive update. He reported that the surgery was complete and that he had begun rehabilitation.

"In and out. Under the (knife emoji) done. Rehab starts now."

Ben Stokes also pulled out of IPL 2024 citing workload management as the reason. As a result, CSK released him from their squad ahead of the mini-auction, which is scheduled for the next month.

"He did the right thing" - Aakash Chopra on Ben Stokes' decision to pull out of IPL 2024

Former India opener Aakash Chopra recently analyzed Stokes' decision to withdraw from playing in IPL 2024 in a video on his YouTube channel. He opined that the English player made the right decision.

"Ben Stokes has said that he won't play in the IPL. Were Chennai going to retain him? That's a big question. In my opinion, they weren't going to do so. Would any other team have bought him for 16.25 crores? My two cents - it was not going to happen."

Chopra continued:

"So, he did the right thing. I don't know if it's strategic or anything. Why should we comment on it? The truth is that 16.25 crore rupees are suddenly freed there. Ambati Rayudu has retired. So you have 20 crore rupees and you will get five crores in any case when the purse is increased."

Do you agree with Chopra's views above? Let us know in the comments section below.