BCCI to retire MS Dhoni No. 7 jersey
2023.12.15
The wicketkeeper-batter from Jharkhand becomes the second Indian player after Sachin Tendulkar to be given the same honour
As per a recent revelation by the Indian Express, the Board of Control for Cricket in India has taken a creative step, deciding to ‘retire’ the legendary No. 7 jersey in honor of MS Dhoni’s indelible mark on Indian cricket. This move echoes a similar tribute bestowed upon Sachin Tendulkar, whose No. 10 jersey was retired in 2017.
Hailing from Jharkhand, the wicketkeeper-batsman, who last graced the international stage in 2019, now shares this distinctive honor with Tendulkar. Dhoni, celebrated for his leadership prowess, steered India to triumphs in the 2007 T20 World Cup, the 2011 ODI World Cup, and the 2013 Champions Trophy. Notably, India attained the pinnacle of Test rankings for the first time under his captaincy.
The Indian Cricket Board has conveyed to both existing and prospective national team players that the revered numbers associated with Tendulkar and Dhoni are off-limits. A senior Board official emphasized, “The BCCI has chosen to retire Dhoni’s T-shirt as a mark of recognition for his immense contributions to the game. New players are precluded from donning the No. 7, and No. 10 was already off the list of available numbers.”
Explaining the rationale behind this decision, the official elaborated on the limited pool of numbers available, stating, “Presently, around 60 numbers are designated to the regular and potential players in the Indian team. Even if a player is out of the team for about a year, we refrain from assigning his number to a new player. This leaves a recent debutant with just 30-odd numbers to choose from.”
This policy has implications for emerging talents like Yashasvi Jaiswal, who couldn’t secure No. 19, as it remains linked to cricketer-turned-commentator Dinesh Karthik. Despite Karthik’s absence from the Indian squad for over a year, his number is still reserved.
This tradition of retiring jersey numbers as a tribute is not exclusive to cricket. In the world of basketball, the Chicago Bulls retired the No. 23 jersey in homage to Michael Jordan, while Napoli, a Serie A football club, mirrored this gesture by retiring the No. 10 jersey in honor of Diego Maradona. Such symbolic acts resonate across diverse sports, immortalizing the legacies of exceptional athletes.
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