MS Dhoni's No. 7 Jersey Retired, BCCI Informs Players Not To Pick Iconic Shirt: Sources

Paying a rich tribute to former India captain MS Dhoni, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has decided to retire the No. 7 jersey. The shirt became synonymous with Dhoni, who remains India's most successful captain when it comes to ICC events. While the great Sachin Tendulkar's No. 10 shirt was already retired by the Indian board, a decision has been made to add Dhoni's No. 7 shirt to the list as well, honouring the contributions the wicket-keeper batter made to the Indian team in the game,

‘Number crunch’ in Indian cricket

It is understood that the BCCI has told players in the Indian team that they can't wear No. 7 on their back while donning the Indian jersey, just like no one was allowed to pick the No. 10 shirt.Even a report in the Indian Express confirmed that the No. 7 shirt is off the shelves for Indian players.

• "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.
• During his early days in the Indian team, however, pacer Shardul Thakur did wear the No. 10 shirt for a brief period. However, the shirt was retired after that much-talked-about episode. In the case of No. 7 shirt, the BCCI acted swiftly and took the number out of players' reach.
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• 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.
• 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 BCCI official was quoted as saying 
• The decision comes three and a half years after Dhoni hung his boots in August 2020. He, however, made his last appearance wearing India's jersey No.7 in the 2019 World Cup semi-final against New Zealand in Manchester, England.
• Dhoni would go down as one of the biggest names in Indian cricket. He is the only captain to have won all three ICC tournaments in 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 stumping 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.