Ben Stokes expected to be fit for start of England's test series in India but will not bowl

England test captain Ben Stokes is expected to be fit for the start of the five-test tour of India beginning Jan. 25 after being selected in a 16-man squad less than two weeks after undergoing left knee surgery .

Stokes will not bowl in the series, England director of cricket Rob Key said in a video call on Monday, though that was never the plan in the wake of his Nov. 29 operation.

Key said Stokes' surgery was a "success" and that the captain was on course to be ready for the first test in Hyderabad from Jan. 25-29.

Stokes barely bowled in the Ashes series against Australia this year and was only a batter in the recent 50-over World Cup also held in India.

It will be England's first test series since the retirement of veteran pacer Stuart Broad while Chris Woakes, one of the team's best fast bowlers in the Ashes, was left out. Instead, England will have four seamers in Jimmy Anderson, Ollie Robinson, Mark Wood and uncapped Gus Atkinson.

Four spinners were selected: Jack Leach, Rehan Ahmed and uncapped pair Tom Hartley and Shoaib Bashir. Key said Bashir was largely going on the tour for experience.

After the match in Hyderabad, there are tests in Vizag, Rajkot, Ranchi and Dharamsala.

___

Squad: Ben Stokes (captain), Rehan Ahmed, James Anderson, Gus Atkinson, Jonny Bairstow, Shoaib Bashir, Harry Brook, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ben Foakes, Tom Hartley, Jack Leach, Ollie Pope, Ollie Robinson, Joe Root, Mark Wood.