According to Indian Express, which cited BCCI sources, MS Dhoni’s legendary No. 7 jersey has been retired by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). Three years have passed since Dhoni’s retirement from international cricket.
When they retired Sachin Tendulkar’s No. 10 jersey in 2017, the BCCI gave him a similar honour. Sports teams frequently retire their uniforms as a way to honour the outstanding contributions of their all-time greats.
The players on the national team, especially the newcomers, have been advised by the BCCI that numbers 7 and 10, which were formerly worn by Dhoni and Tendulkar, respectively, are currently unavailable. In order to preserve the legacy of these cricketing legends, new players have been forbidden from selecting these numbers, a senior Board official informed the publication.
Currently, the regulars and those in contention on the Indian team are identified by roughly sixty numbers. We therefore don’t give a player’s number to a new player even if they are absent from the team for around a year. That implies a newcomer has only about thirty options to pick from,” a BCCI official was cited in the article.
Retiring jersey numbers is not just for cricketers. In honour of Diego Maradona, Italian football team Napoli retired their No. 10 jersey. The Chicago Bulls honoured Michael Jordan by doing the same with their No. 23 jersey.
In Major League Baseball (MLB), Jackie Robinson’s No. 42 was retired. In honour of the league’s first African-American player, MLB retired it universally in 1997.
Wayne Gretzky’s No. 99 was retired by the National Hockey League (NHL) in 1999. The “Great One,” Gretzky, is the owner of multiple NHL records. Most people agree that he is the best hockey player of all time.
In 2007, the Kentucky Boxing and Wrestling Commission retired the No. 3 worn by Muhammad Ali. Not only was he possibly the best boxer of all time, but he also became a worldwide icon due to his vocal nature and commitment to social justice.