(Video) Joe Root Gives Touching Tribute to Graham Thorpe After Scoring His 39th Test Ton at The Oval

Earlier, after scoring a century in the fourth Test, Joe Root surpassed Ricky Ponting to become Test cricket's all-time second-highest run-scorer.

(Video) Joe Root Gives Touching Tribute to Graham Thorpe After Scoring His 39th Test Ton at The Oval

Joe Root paid a heart-felt tribute to former England batter Graham Thorpe, after scoring a hundred. (via Sky Sports)

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Veteran Englishman Joe Root, once again delighted fans with a scintillating hundred in the final innings of the fifth Test against India, at the Oval. The 34-year-old celebrated his century in a special way, paying a heartfelt tribute to his former mentor and English legend, Graham Thorpe.

Joe Root is having a series to remember against the Men in Blue, having broken several records over the past one and a half month. With a hundred in the final innings of the fifth Test match, Root finishes with a total of 537 runs in nine innings at an average of 67.12. This was the Englishman’s third century of the series, with the first two coming in the third and fourth Tests at Lord’s and Old Trafford, respectively.

Root’s incredible knock in the final Test came, as the Three Lions are currently chasing a 340-run target. The veteran English batter and his partner, Harry Brook, forged a much-needed 195-run partnership off just 211 deliveries, bringing England significantly closer to victory. Root’s innings of 105 runs, which included 12 boundaries, marked his 39th Test hundred, allowing him to surpass Kumar Sangakkara‘s record of 38 centuries.

The 34-year-old brought up his century in style in the 69th over, with the crowd at the Oval erupting with chants of ‘Root, Root’. The English batter received a standing ovation from his teammates and fans. He celebrated the achievement by taking off his helmet and raising his bat toward the dressing room. He then paid a fitting and heartfelt tribute to his mentor, Graham Thorpe.

Root took a headband out of his pocket, put it on, and then pointed a finger towards the sky in a touching gesture to honor the former English batting legend, in a heartfelt moment. His tribute was meaningful as Thorpe served as a coach to Root during his formative playing days, and the two shared a deep bond. Notably, it was Graham Thorpe who had advocated for Root’s inclusion in the national team back in 2012.

The former England cricketer, who played 100 Test matches and 82 ODIs, on August 4 last year, passed away after tragically being hit by a running train at Esher railway station in Surrey. He died by suicide at the age of 55, with his family later revealing that he had been struggling with mental health issues. The deceased Surrey batter, who had scored over 9,000 runs in international cricket, remains an honored figure at the Kennington Oval. 

Moreover, the rest of the English players on the second day at the Oval also paid tribute to their former legend. They posed for photos wearing the white headband, that Thorpe famously wore during his playing days. To raise funds for mentally-ill patients, the second day was also named ‘A Day for Thorpey’.

Joe Root Equals Sunil Gavaskar’s Test Record Following Oval Masterclass Against India

Englishman Joe Root continued his excellent form, etching his name in the history books after scoring a hundred in the final Test against India at The Oval. The 34-year-old has now equaled Sunil Gavaskar‘s record for the most centuries against a single opponent in Test cricket.

Joe Root most hundreds against India
Joe Root now has 13 hundreds in Test matches, against India. (via ESPN Cricinfo)

The former England captain now has a staggering 13 centuries against the Men in Blue, surpassing Jack Hobbs‘ record of 12 hundreds, against Australia. Root has now matched ex-India opener Sunil Gavaskar’s record of 13 hundreds against West Indies, with both of them now only behind Australian legend Don Bradman, who holds the record with 19 Test centuries against England.

Furthermore, Joe Root also became the first player in WTC history to score more than 6,000 runs. Root leads the all-time scoring charts, having amassed 6,080 runs in a total of 69 Tests in the WTC cycle, at an average of 52.86. He has hit 21 hundreds and 22 fifties.