BCCI retires MS Dhoni’s iconic shirt number, 1st number to be retired after Sachin Tendulkar 

The BCCI has instructed players to not use the number 7 now. Since his debut, the former Indian captain wore the number 7, which is now tied with him for eternity.

BCCI retires MS Dhoni’s iconic shirt number, 1st number to be retired after Sachin Tendulkar 

MS Dhoni wearing his iconic number 7 kit (Image via ESPN)

MS Dhoni is a much loved cricketer in India. He’s regarded as India’s 2nd most popular cricketer after Sachin Tendulkar, who is called the God of Cricket. His popularity after his retirement is still seen across the nation, with many people hoping he plays the IPL for more years. 

To honor his achievements and contributions to Indian cricket, the Board of Control for Cricket in India has decided to retire his shirt number. Since his debut, the former Indian captain wore the number 7, which is now tied with him for eternity. He wore the number for India till his last appearance in 2019 and then retired in 2020, a year later. 

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Dhoni is the 2nd player to have his shirt number after Tendulkar. Although the number 10 was used by Shardul Thakur 4 years after Tendulkar’s retirement, he gave it up after abuse from fans. Shubman Gill wanted to use the number 7, but as Dhoni already had it, Gill shifted to 77. 

How are shirt numbers decided? 

The ICC has allotted numbers 1-99 for use, but when they were first introduced it was allotted for positions in a line-up. Now players have the choice of picking the numbers of their choice, but a BCCI rule has caused players to pick numbers apart from their choices. 

Yashasvi Jaiswal Dinesh Karthik
Yashasvi Jaiswal wanted the number 19, Dinesh Karthik already had it (Image via ESPN)

A BCCI official said when a number is picked, it is held by a player till his retirement and can’t be picked by another player. Even if a certain player isn’t in the team, his number will stay with him. A recent example is Yashasvi Jaiswal, who wears number 19 for the Mumbai Cricket Team and Rajasthan Royals. 

He debuted for India in July 2023 in a Test against West Indies and wanted to pick the number 19. Unfortunately, Dinesh Karthik, who has nor featured for India since the 2022 T20 World Cup, had the number to his name. This caused him to pick the alternative number of 64. 

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