Three years after he bid adieu to international cricket, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has reportedly decided to retire former Indian skipper MS Dhoni’s iconic number 7 jersey in order to honor his contributions to the team.
As per sources, young players and current Indian team players have been informed not to pick Dhoni’s number 7 jersey.
In similar fashion, earlier in 2017, Sachin Tendulkar’s number 10 jersey was taken off the shelves to pay tribute to the legendary cricketer.
"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," a senior Board official told Indian Express.
During his initial days with the Indian team, pacer Shardul Thakur did don the No. 10 shirt for a short while. But after that much-discussed incident, the shirt was retired.
Additionally, sources also reveal that the BCCI official also confirmed that a total of 60 numbers have presently been allotted to the Indian team's players.
"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.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)