The physique is as lean as it ever has been. The tattoos now stretch across a sleeker canvas. The cheekbones protrude a little more. Only the beard looks burdened with extra heft. The least dusty memes may say Ben Stokes looks more like Vincent van Gogh than ever. A Cricket player’s visage scarcely merits deconstruction, but one who seems to have dropped from heavyweight to middleweight status over 50 days from a serious knee operation is worth some attention. Stokes’ serious knee operation, which he downplayed, happened at the end of November. He had kept the state of his left knee quiet while he struggled through laboured movements and unfulfilled bowling duties. In January, he admitted he minimized the seriousness of the procedure. A bone spur was removed, and the meniscus was reinforced with stitches. The medical staff at the England and Wales Cricket Board kept checking in on his recovery, and Stokes has been making good progress since then.
Ben Stokes will be playing as a specialist batter in the upcoming series in India. He also revealed that the fear of surgery motivated him to work hard and shed weight. His weeks of hard work and changes to his lifestyle led to his substantial weight loss of 8-10kg. His recovery and training have been successful, and he expects to play all five Tests in India. He is also eagerly looking forward to the opportunity to reprise his allrounder status in the upcoming English summer.
Stokes’ recovery will be fully tested in the upcoming Test series. He believes he has done everything necessary to be ready and is excited to play. He acknowledges that there may be physical challenges during the match but asserts that he is ready.
