Joe Root dedicates 33rd century to Graham Thorpe, who died by jumping in front of train

New Delhi: England ace batter Joe Root hammered his 33rd Test century on Thursday in the ongoing Test against Sri Lanka. He dedicated his brilliant Test ton to his former batting mentor, the late Graham Thorpe who died by suicide earlier this month. The stalwart batter got emotional after achieving the milestone and pointed towards to the skies. With this inning, he leveled former skipper Alastair Cook who was one of the finest batters in England and the highest Test hundred scorer. 

What did he say after the match? 

After the stumps on Day 1, Joe Root said, "I've been very lucky to work with a lot of people, whether it be senior players, coaches, mentors, and Thorpey was one of those people who offered me so much."

Joe Root. Thirty three Test centuries. pic.twitter.com/Ty7drG9zfg

— England Cricket (@englandcricket) August 29, 2024

"It was nice to be able to think of him (Thorpe) in that moment. He's someone I'm sorely going to miss, and who I owe a lot to. He put a lot into my game, into my career, and without his help, I definitely wouldn't be where I am now."

His innings also helped England to recover from 130/4 to 358/7 at the end of Day 1 in Lord's ground. 

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 ROOOOOOOOOT! 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

💯 Thirty-three Test hundreds
⬆️ Joint most England Test centuries
🌍 The world's top-ranked men's Test batter
👀 Closing in on the most Test runs for England

Joe Root, you are 𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘃𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 🐐 pic.twitter.com/Q4OEnApIVR

— England Cricket (@englandcricket) August 29, 2024

Who was Graham Thorpe?

Graham Paul Thorpe MBE  was a distinguished English cricketer who had an illustrious career playing for Surrey and representing England in 100 Test matches. Thorpe was also a key player in 82 One Day Internationals (ODIs), including appearances in the 1996 and 1999 World Cups. Moreover, he served as captain on three occasions.

A left-handed middle-order batsman, Thorpe made his first-class debut for Surrey in 1988 and quickly established himself as a regular fixture in the team from the following season.

How did Graham Thorpe died?

Graham Thorpe tragically passed away after being struck by a train at a railway station in Surrey. An inquest into his death revealed that the 55-year-old took his own life on 4 August 2024.