BCCI Retires Iconic No.7, Advises Current Indian Cricketers Against Choosing MS Dhoni' jersey.....
BCCI has informed young Indian players that they can no longer request Ms Dhoni's No.7 jersey, following the removal of Tendulkar's No.10 from the list earlier.
In the aftermath of Sachin Tendulkar's No. 10 retirement, the BCCI has decided to also retire MS Dhoni's No. 7. Henceforth, no other Indian cricketer will be assigned jersey No. 7. While cricketers usually choose their preferred number before their India debut, the BCCI has now advised young players against requesting the No. 7 jersey. According to an Indian Express report, this decision aligns with the ICC rules, allowing players to select any number between 1 to 100.
The BCCI, recognizing Dhoni's significant contribution to the game, has decided to honor him by retiring his jersey number. The exclusion of Tendulkar's No. 10 had already been implemented in 2017. A senior BCCI official mentioned, "The young players and current Indian team players have been told not to pick M S Dhoni’s Number 7 jersey.
The resolution comes three and a half years after Dhoni hung his boots in August 2020. Notably, his final appearance in India's jersey No. 7 was in the 2019 World Cup semi-final against New Zealand in Manchester, England.
Dhoni remains a monumental figure in Indian cricket, standing out as the sole captain to secure victories in all three ICC tournaments within the white-ball format.
He led a young Indian side to victory in the inaugural 2007 T20 World Cup in South Africa. Four years later, India's 28-year-long wait for an ODI World Cup ended when Dhoni hit that iconic six at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai in the final of the 2011 World Cup against Sri Lanka. In 2013, Dhoni led India to the Champions Trophy title, which was also India's last ICC title.
The talismanic cricketer from Ranchi, who continues to ply his trade as the captain of Chennai Super Kings in IPL, has represented India in 90 Tests, 350 ODIs, and 98 T20Is, scoring 4876, 10773, and 1617 runs respectively.
Dhoni also holds the record for most dismissals by an Indian keeper. He has 634 catches and 195 stumpings to his credit, making him the third most successful wicketkeeper in the history of the game behind South Africa's Mark Boucher and Australia's Adam Gilchrist.
'Cricket Digits' in Indian Cricket
The decision to retire jersey numbers limits the options for young Indian cricketers in their selection. According to the current system, only the jersey numbers of retired cricketers are available for new players.
At present, about 60 numbers are allocated to the regulars in the Indian team and those in contention. Even if a player is out of the team for about a year or so, we don't give away his number to a new player. This means a recent debutant has only around 30 numbers to choose from," explained another BCCI official to Express.
As per the report, young Indian opener Yashasvi Jaiswal expressed a preference for jersey No.19. However, as Dinesh Karthik still uses that number and has not retired, the left-hander had to settle for No.64.
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