No. 7 jersey retired to honour MS Dhoni’s contribution to Indian cricket, says Rajeev Shukla

The BCCI vice-president Rajeev Shukla said the board took the decision on Thursday.

FILE PHOTO: M.S. Dhoni celebrates after scoring a century in the second ODI between India and England in 2017. | Photo Credit: K.R. Deepak/The Hindu

The BCCI has decided to retire World Cup winning captain M.S. Dhoni’s No. 7 jersey to honour his contribution to Indian cricket.

“He is a legendary player. His contribution to Indian as well as world cricket is immense. To honour his contribution, the decision to retire number seven has been taken by the BCCI,” Shukla told PTI.

According to BCCI vice-president Rajeev Shukla, the Board took the decision on Thursday.

The iconic India captain last played for the country in the 2019 World Cup semifinal against New Zealand. He announced his retirement on August 15, 2020 and no other player has worn the No.7 shirt since then.

Even the great Sachin Tendulkar’s No. 10 has not been worn any other player since his retirement in 2013 except pacer Shardul Tahkur, who had opted for the number on his ODI debut against Sri Lanka in 2017. No one since then has played with the same number.

Retiring jerseys of the greats is a phenomenon in another sports too. The Chicago Bulls retired the No.23 jersey worn by basketball legend Michael Jordan following his retirement.

India wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik, whose international career coincided with Dhoni’s, was among the first ones to demand for the No. 7 jersey to be retired after the World Cup winning captain’s retirement in 2020. Both Karthik and Dhoni happened to play in that ill-fated World Cup semifinal against New Zealand.

“Hope the BCCI retires the No.7 jersey in white ball cricket,” Karthik had posted back then.