Without Graham Thorpe's backing and pushing my case, I may not have had the career I've had: Joe Root

Graham Thorpe breathed his last on August 4 at the age of 55 after going through serious illness and other mental issues. Joe Root expressed his gratitude to the former England cricketer for his massive influence and constant backing, which played a part in shaping him to become one of the best batters in modern-day cricket.

After having a successful playing career, Thorpe ventured into coaching and served as England's batting and assistant coach at various stages from 2013 until the 2021/22 Ashes tour Down Under. Root acknowledged the positive influence Thorpe had on his career.

"A lot of my interactions with Graham and where his biggest influences came were as a coach when he started the second phase of his career. It was quite surreal first getting to meet someone of his stature and talking about the game. I worked very closely with him for the next 12 years or so. He had a huge influence on my career and arguably without his backing and pushing my case, I may not have had the career I've had," said Root during an interaction with Sky Sports.

Also Read: England to pay tribute to Graham Thorpe in opening Test against Sri Lanka

Root also asserted that Thorpe had helped many of his contemporaries like Jonny Bairstow, Jason Roy, Jos Buttler, James Vince, and Sam Billings to hone their skills. The former England red-ball skipper also underscored Thorpe's contribution to developing Ben Stokes' game. Root credited the southpaw for teaching him the basics of scoring runs in the subcontinent.

"Clearly the work he put in during that 10-12 year period… he worked tirelessly. We had good, honest conversations about areas I needed to improve. Not just me but you look at guys that came through in that time: Jonny Bairstow, Jason Roy, Jos Buttler, James Vince, Sam Billings. He played a big role in Ben Stokes' development. A lot of the scores I have got over the years in the subcontinent have been down to the basics I learnt from my very first tour with him," Root stated.

He was one of the guys that consistently performed when things were tough: Joe Root

Thorpe played 100 Tests for the Three Lions and scored 6,744 runs at an average of 44.66. Meanwhile, in 82 ODIs, he aggregated 2,380 runs at an average of 37.19. All of his 16 international centuries came in red-ball cricket. Root hailed the Farnham-born for being a player who shined in difficult conditions and noted that he was equally adept at playing spin and pace.

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"He was one of the players that stood out in that time. He was one of the guys that consistently performed when things were tough and when results weren't always going in our favour, which I think is a great quality to have. Even when I was young and learning about the sport, you could tell he had a good game against both spin and high pace. He could play the short ball well but also had success in Sri Lanka," said Root in the same interaction.