The number 7 worn by MS Dhoni on his jersey during his cricketing career, will no longer be available for any other cricketer in the future. This is because the BCCI has reportedly retired the number as a tribute to the legendary Indian captain.
MS Dhoni announced his retirement from international cricket in August 2020. He is often regarded as India's most strong and influential captain. From 2007 to 2013, the wicketkeeper-batsman guided the Indian Team to three ICC event victories. India won the T20 World Cup in 2007, the Cricket World Cup in 2011, and the Champions Trophy in 2013. Notably, Team India won their last ICC title in 2013 under MS Dhoni.
MS Dhoni becomes the second Indian cricketer to have his jersey number retired, as legend Sachin Tendulkar was the first one, as his number 10 was retired by BCCI in 2017.
BCCI has reportedly 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 told Indian Express.
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.
This situation arose when Yashasvi Jaiswal made his India debut in West Indies recently. He was keen on No. 19, the number he had on his back when playing for Rajasthan Royals. However, since the number was designated to cricketer-turned-commentator Dinesh Karthik, no longer an India regular but still an active player, he went for No. 64.
Even Shubman Gill had to settle for number 77 since his U19 days as his favorite number seven was off limits.
When Shardul Thakur made his India debut in 2017, he wore number 10 on his jersey, which led to a huge uproar on social media.
Virat Kohli (18) and Rohit Sharma (45) are two current Indian players with prominent shirt numbers. With jersey numbers 18 and 45 on the backs of most Indian fans when the team plays, it wouldn't be surprising if those numbers were folded away in a post-Kohli and post-Rohit era.
(Indian Express report)
