The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has decided to retire MS Dhoni’s iconic No. 7 jersey, following a similar move made with Sachin Tendulkar’s No. 10 in 2017. This means that no other Indian cricketer, especially young players, will be allowed to choose the No. 7 jersey going forward. Players typically have the option to select their preferred jersey number before making their debut for the Indian team, choosing from numbers 1 to 100 as per ICC rules.
This decision honors Dhoni’s significant contributions to Indian cricket, marking him as one of the sport’s legends. Dhoni, who retired in August 2020, captained the Indian team to victories in all three ICC white-ball tournaments. Notably, he led India to the inaugural T20 World Cup in 2007, ended a 28-year wait for an ODI World Cup in 2011, and secured the Champions Trophy in 2013.
Dhoni’s impact is also evident in his records, having represented India in 90 Tests, 350 ODIs, and 98 T20Is. His impressive batting and wicketkeeping skills earned him a place as the third most successful wicketkeeper in the history of the game, with 634 catches and 195 stumpings.
The decision to retire jersey numbers, however, limits the options for young Indian cricketers, as only numbers associated with retired players are available for selection. This “number crunch” in Indian cricket means that new players have a limited pool of around 30 numbers to choose from, complicating matters when there are existing players still active with specific numbers. For instance, Yashasvi Jaiswal desired jersey No. 19, but as Dinesh Karthik, who is still active, uses the same number, Jaiswal had to settle for No. 64.
