New Delhi. The iconic number 7 jersey of Team India’s great captain MS Dhoni will no longer be available to any other Indian player. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) took this decision almost three years after Dhoni’s international retirement in August 2020. According to a report in ‘Indian Express’, Dhoni decided to retire his jersey, as a mark of respect. Sachin Tendulkar, who retired his signature number 10 jersey in 2017.
Dhoni, who announced his retirement from international formats on August 15, 2020, had already retired from Test cricket in 2014. His jersey number 7, a symbol of his illustrious career, will now be officially retired as a tribute to his contribution to the game. Reports indicate that no other Indian cricketer will wear the iconic number 7 jersey, making it a unique honor similar to Tendulkar’s retired number 10.
MS Dhoni’s number 7 Jersey retired from Indian cricket as a tribute to the legend. [Express Sports]
– BCCI has informed the players in the national team. pic.twitter.com/u6pRjit6UP
—Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) December 15, 2023
BCCI officials revealed that new players, especially debutants, have been informed that there are no options available for the numbers associated with Tendulkar and Dhoni. The board has decided to retire the jersey worn by Dhoni throughout his career as an international cricketer. The move limits the options for Team India players, ensuring that the iconic numbers are preserved to pay tribute to the great players. In terms of rules for choosing jersey numbers in Team India, some limitations have been imposed by the BCCI. While ICC allows players to choose any number between 1 and 100, the options for Indian players are restricted. Currently, Team India’s regular and probable players have around 60 numbers to choose from.
BCCI officials clarified that even if a player is out of the team for almost a year, the assigned number is not given to any new player. This means that recently debuted players have around 30 available numbers to choose from. This rule helps maintain the significance of jersey numbers, ensuring that they are not easily changed or reassigned.
The report also highlights instances at the junior level where players like Gill faced challenges in getting their preferred jersey number. Gill, who wanted number 7, had to be content with 77 as the number was already taken. The jersey number selection process is not just a matter of preference at the senior level; It also shows the importance attached to iconic numbers in cricket.
The report ends by mentioning that current Indian players Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma wear jersey numbers 18 and 45 respectively, making them the most popular jersey numbers among cricket fans. The importance of jersey numbers in cricket is evident not only at the international level but also at the junior and domestic levels, where players strive to wear iconic numbers that carry a sense of heritage and tradition.