The jersey No. 7 can’t be worn by Indian team players now. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has made this choice to honor MS Dhoni.
MS Dhoni, the past India leader, has led India to win all three white-ball ICC trophies with the No. 7 on his back. This combination of his name and number is emblematic, undoubtedly.
After Sachin Tendulkar’s renowned No. 10 jersey, it will be the second jersey number retired. As of 2017, the iconic batter’s jersey number was no longer available.
According to the Indian Express, the BCCI has told national team players and debutants that numbers 7 and 10 are not accessible in any way.
“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.
MS Dhoni has previously stated that he picked the No. 7 shirt simply because it was his birthdate (July 7), dispelling speculations that it was his lucky number.
“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.
The teenagers are vying for iconic numbers, and many of them have already been claimed by older members.
For the time being, the majority of the developing players are wearing unusual numbers on their backs. Yashasvi Jaiswal, who made his international debut this year, desired the number 19. However, for the time being, the number is given to Dinesh Karthik.
Similarly, Shubman Gill allegedly wanted to wear No. 7 but had to settle for No. 77 instead.
Shardul Thakur changes jersey number, BCCI retires No. 10
The jersey was briefly available after Tendulkar’s 2013 retirement until being claimed by Shardul Thakur, a fellow Mumbai cricket player. The all-rounder’s claim to the legendary number was not well received, though. Thakur moved to No. 54 when the BCCI decided to permanently retire the number.
In the world of sports, retiring jersey numbers is a widespread tradition. To preserve their legacy, Michael Jordan and Diego Maradona had their jersey numbers retired in basketball and football, among other sports. Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers got two of his jersey numbers retired in an unusual event in recognition of his contributions in each of them.
Following the induction of Chris Gayle and AB de Villiers into the franchise Hall of Fame, the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) made the decision to retire the jersey numbers 17 and 333 in the game of cricket.