MS Dhoni’s No. 7 jersey is as popular in India, as the legend himself. In a surprising, yet welcome move, the BCCI has retired the iconic No. 7 jersey, as per a report in the Indian Express. This is only the second instance when a player’s jersey is retired in India — after Sachin Tendulkar’s No. 10, back in 2017.
The report further suggested, that the BCCI has already informed the players, that they won’t have the option of donning No. 7, as well as No. 10. “The young players and current Indian team players have been told not to pick M S Dhoni’s Number 7 jersey. The BCCI has decided to retire Dhoni’s T-shirt for his contribution to the game. A new player can’t get No. 7, and No. 10 was already off the list of available numbers,” said a senior Board official, as told to the Indian Express.
“At present, 60-odd numbers are designated to the regulars in the Indian team and those in contention. So even if a player is out of the team for about a year or so, we don’t give away his number to a new player. That means a recent debutant has just 30-odd numbers to choose from,” said the BCCI official.
The report further suggested that even Shubman Gill could not get the No. 7 jersey during his U-19 days, and had to settle for 77, and this has stuck with him till now, in the senior team as well. Similarly, Yashasvi Jaiswal could not get No. 19, since it was a number picked by Dinesh Karthik, and so the former went with No. 64.
Other Instances of Retired Numbers in Cricket
Apart from Dhoni and Tendulkar, there are a couple more numbers that are retired from cricket. Following the death of former Australia batsman Phillip Hughes, Cricket Australia retired his ODI jersey No. 64, in his remembrance. More recently, the Cricket Association of Nepal retired former skipper Paras Khadka’s jersey No. 77, after he bid adieu to the game in 2021.
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