Let’s talk a bit about Graham Thorpe.

Hello everyone. An Indian here. Greetings to everyone. As we know today's play of Day 2 between India and England is in the honour of Late Graham Thorpe as he contributed immense to Surrey Cricket and England. Maybe it's the best time to talk about him.

Almost 11 months ago, all of us woke up to the devastating news of the passing away of Graham Thorpe. At first, the news said it was accidental. Reports then began surfacing that it may have been suicide. I don’t know what to believe, and maybe it’s not even my place to comment — but I can’t stop thinking about it.

I’m not English. I’m Indian. I didn’t grow up idolizing Thorpe the way some of you might have. But I remember him.

He wasn’t flashy. He wasn’t loud. He was that quiet guy in the middle order who just… stayed. In a team full of collapses in the 90s, Thorpe was the anchor. Not the headline act, but the backbone. Gritty. Technical. Underrated.

I don’t know how big a deal his passing has been in England — I genuinely want to understand. Did the news hit hard among English fans? Has the cricketing world mourned him enough? Or has he become one of those players remembered vaguely and quietly, the same way he lived and played?

What broke me is the suicide. It’s such a tragic way to go, especially for a sportsperson — someone we associate with strength, routine, purpose. But they are human too, aren’t they?

I read about his marital problems around 2002. He was dropped from the team soon after. It makes me wonder: was that the start of something? Did the pain linger long after the spotlight moved on?

There’s something deeply haunting about a cricketer, someone who once had the whole of world watching him, dying silently like this.

I don’t know why I’m writing this. I guess… I just needed to process it. Maybe some of you who grew up watching him can tell me what he meant to you. What kind of man was he? What did he carry quietly that the rest of us never saw?

RIP Thorpe. Even if the world doesn’t echo with your name, some of us felt the silence you left behind.

P.S. – Asking this question because his wife has stated that there were negligence in his care from the medical team. Please give your inputs. Thank you all.

tl;dr Graham Thorpe — Trying to understand his legacy, from an Indian fan’s heart

Edit – I hope this is the right place to post it. I tried posting it in r/Englandcricket but apparently the mods didn't allow.