M S Dhoni’s iconic No. 7 jersey won’t be seen on any other India cricketer. Three years after he hung his boots as an international cricketer, the Indian cricket board, in a tribute to his contribution to the sport, has decided to ‘retire’ the number sported by the World Cup-winning captain.
The only other cricketer bestowed a similar honour is Sachin Tendulkar — in 2017, his signature No. 10 jersey too was folded away for good.
It is learnt that the BCCI has informed players in the national team, especially the debutants, that they don’t have the option of numbers associated with Tendulkar and Dhoni.
“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.
The BCCI’s decision somewhat limits the choices for Team India players. As a rule, the ICC allows players to pick any number between 1 and 100, but in India, the options are limited. “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 a BCCI official. Earlier this year, when 21-year-old opener Yashasvi Jaiswal was making his India debut, he was keen on No. 19, the number he has on his back when playing for Rajasthan Royals.