The legendary captain of India last took the field against New Zealand in the World Cup semifinal of 2019. In recognition of M S Dhoni’s significant contribution to Indian cricket, the BCCI has chosen to “retire” his No. 7 jersey from the World Cup winning captain.
The legendary captain of India last took the field against New Zealand in the World Cup semifinal of 2019. On August 15, 2020, he declared his retirement, and no other player has worn the No. 7 jersey since.
Since his retirement in 2013, only pacer Shardul Tahkur has worn the iconic Sachin Tendulkar’s No. 10. Tahkur chose to wear the number on his ODI debut against Sri Lanka in 2017, however he received a lot of backlash on social media.
Since then, no player has ever donned a jersey with the number 10 printed on the back.
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Vice-president of the BCCI Rajeev Shukla said that the Board made their choice on Thursday.
“He is a renowned athlete. He has made a huge impact on both Indian and international cricket. The BCCI has decided to retire number seven in recognition of his contributions, Shukla informed PTI.
Legends’ retiring jerseys are a thing in other sports as well. After Michael Jordan retired from basketball, the Chicago Bulls retired his No. 23 jersey.
After the World Cup-winning captain’s retirement in 2020, India wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik, whose career paralleled Dhoni’s, was among the first to call for the No. 7 shirt to be retired. It so occurred that Dhoni and Karthik were playing in that disastrous World Cup semifinal matchup against New Zealand.
Karthik had then posted, “Hope the BCCI retires the No. 7 jersey in white ball cricket.”
