The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has retired MS Dhoni's iconic jersey number 7 which means that the upcoming India players won't have the option to pick the number 7 jersey in any of the three formats of the sport. The decision has been confirmed by the Vice-President of the board, Rajeev Shukla.
"This decision by the BCCI is keeping in mind the contribution of MS Dhoni in national as well as international cricket and is an honour for him. Jersey number 7 was an identity for MS Dhoni, and to prevent that brand from being diluted, this step taken by BCCI is worth appreciating," Shukla told ANI.
Dhoni and the number seven are synonymous with each other and fans of the sport in India associate the jersey number seven with the former India skipper. Dhoni wore the number seven jersey during his playing days for India and even dons the jersey of the same number whenever he takes the field for his Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Chennai Super Kings (CSK).
Notably, there is only one India player who is currently in possession of the number seven jersey - Harmanpreet Kaur. The skipper of the Indian women's cricket team, Harmanpreet, dons the same number as Dhoni across the three formats.
Hence, it is most likely that after Harmanpreet, no other Indian player will get the opportunity to wear the number seven behind his/her back.
Apart from Dhoni's number seven jersey, Sachin Tendulkar's number 10 has also not been given to any India player since the 'Master Blaster' hung his international boots in November 2013. Tendulkar wore number 10 during the majority of his playing days.
Interestingly, there were rumours that Virat Kohli's jersey number i.e. 18 won't be up for grabs either once he calls it a day, though it remains unconfirmed.
