Why Dhoni Jersey No. 7 Is Retired By BCCI?

The BCCI has apparently told young Indian players that they cannot ask for Dhoni jersey No.7 anymore, just like Tendulkar’s No.10 was retired earlier.

After Sachin Tendulkar’s No. 10 jersey, the BCCI has decided that MS Dhoni jersey No. 7 will also be retired. This means no other Indian cricketer can have the No. 7 jersey in the future. Usually, players can choose any number between 1 to 100 according to ICC rules, but the BCCI has told young Indian players that they can’t ask for the No. 7 jersey anymore, similar to how Tendulkar’s No. 10 was retired in 2017.

What Is Matter Of Dhoni Jersey No. 7?

“Young and current Indian team players have been instructed not to choose M.S. Dhoni jersey Number 7. The BCCI has opted to retire Dhoni’s shirt as a tribute to his contributions to the game. New players are not allowed to wear No. 7, and No. 10 was already unavailable,” stated a senior BCCI official according to The Indian Express.

In cricket, players can choose any number between 1 and 100 to be on the back of their jerseys, according to the ICC rules. When a new player joins the national team, they are asked which number they prefer. If the chosen number is not taken, it is assigned to the player.

For instance, Shubman Gill wanted the number 7 during the U19 World Cup in 2018, but since it was already taken, he ended up with two 7s, having 77 on the back of his jersey for both the Indian and Gujarat Titans (GT) teams.

The choice was made three and a half years after Dhoni retired in August 2020. Dhoni’s final match in the Indian jersey, No. 7, was in the 2019 World Cup semi-final against New Zealand in Manchester, England.

Dhoni is considered one of the most prominent figures in Indian cricket, having achieved the unique feat of winning all three ICC tournaments in white-ball cricket as a captain.

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Quick Records Of MS. Dhoni

Dhoni led a young Indian team to win the first T20 World Cup in 2007 in South Africa. Four years later, he became a hero when he hit a memorable six at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai during the 2011 ODI World Cup final against Sri Lanka, ending India’s 28-year-long wait for the title. In 2013, Dhoni captained India to victory in the Champions Trophy, which remains India’s most recent ICC title.

The cricket star from Ranchi, who currently captains the Chennai Super Kings in the IPL, played 90 Tests, 350 ODIs, and 98 T20Is for India, scoring 4876, 10773, and 1617 runs, respectively.

Dhoni also holds the record for the most dismissals by an Indian wicketkeeper, with 634 catches and 195 stumpings. He ranks as the third most successful wicketkeeper in the history of the game, following South Africa’s Mark Boucher and Australia’s Adam Gilchrist.

Why BCCI Did Not Give Jersey No. 19 To Yashasvi Jaiswal?

The decision to retire jersey numbers limits the choices for young Indian cricketers. Currently, only the numbers of retired players can be chosen by new players.

According to a BCCI official, around 60 numbers are already assigned to current and potential players in the Indian team. Even if a player is not in the team for about a year, his number isn’t given to a new player. This means that a new player has only around 30 available numbers to choose from.

For example, young Indian opener Yashasvi Jaiswal wanted jersey No.19, but since Dinesh Karthik still uses that number and hasn’t retired, Jaiswal had to settle for No.64 instead.