The legendary No. 7 jersey of M S Dhoni will forever remain exclusive to him in the realm of Indian cricket. The Indian cricket board, in a tribute to his immense contributions to the sport, the Indian cricket board has decided to officially retire the number worn by the captain who led the team to victory in the World Cup. This special honour has previously been bestowed upon Sachin Tendulkar as well when his iconic No. 10 jersey was also retired in 2017.
According to reports, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has informed to players in the national team, particularly those making their debut, that they are not allowed to choose jersey numbers associated with Tendulkar and Dhoni.
“The young players and current Indian team players have been told not to pick M S Dhoni’s Number 7 jersey. The BCCI has decided to retire Dhoni’s T-shirt for his contribution to the game. A new player can’t get No. 7, and No. 10 was already off the list of available numbers,” said a senior Board official, as quoted in Indian Express.
As a rule, the ICC allows players the freedom to select any number from 1 to 100. However, in India, the choices are more restricted“At present, 60-odd numbers are designated to the regulars in the Indian team and those in contention. So 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. That means a recent debutant has just 30-odd numbers to choose from,” said a BCCI official.
Virat Kohli (18) and Rohit Sharma (45) are two prominent Indian players who have gained popularity with their respective shirt numbers. Whenever India plays, it is common to see fans donning jerseys with the numbers 18 and 45 on the back. Considering the immense impact these players have had on the team, it wouldn't be unexpected for these jerseys to be cherished even after the era of Kohli and Rohit.
It's been a long-standing tradition in sports to retire the jersey numbers of legendary players. At the Italian Serie A football club Napoli, the number 10 has not been worn by anyone for years. This number will forever be associated with their greatest player of all time, Diego Maradona. He single-handedly led them to victory in the league titles of 1987 and 1990.
(With Input from agencies)
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