India : The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has made the decision to retire the iconic No. 7 jersey worn by cricket legend MS Dhoni throughout his international and Indian Premier League (IPL) career. This move signifies that no future player in Indian cricket will don the number 7 jersey.
MS Dhoni officially announced his retirement from international cricket on August 15, 2020, through a post on Instagram. His last appearance for India was in the 2019 ODI World Cup semi-final. Since Dhoni’s retirement, the number seven jersey has remained unused by any Indian cricketer.
Following in the footsteps of Sachin Tendulkar, MS Dhoni becomes the second player to have the BCCI retire his jersey number. The Board has communicated to national team players, particularly debutants, that jersey numbers 10 and 07 are not available options for selection.
Known for his exceptional leadership and playing prowess, Dhoni achieved the rare feat of captaining India to victories in all three major ICC tournaments—the 2007 T20 World Cup, the 2011 ODI World Cup, and the 2013 Champions Trophy.
In his illustrious career, Dhoni played 350 ODIs, amassing 10,773 runs at an impressive average of 50.57, including 73 half-centuries and 10 centuries. He scored 1617 runs in 98 T20Is at an average of 37.60 and a strike rate of 126.13. Dhoni also contributed with the bat in Test cricket, accumulating 4876 runs in 97 matches with six centuries and 33 fifties, while also registering 294 dismissals as a wicketkeeper.
Retiring jerseys is a practice not limited to cricket, as football and basketball teams also adopt this tradition. For instance, the Chicago Bulls retired the iconic number 23 jersey in honor of Michael Jordan, and the Italian football team Napoli retired Diego Maradona’s legendary number 10 kit.
Approximately thirty numbers are available for young cricket players to choose from, with regular Indian team players and those in contention typically assigned numbers above 60, as per the International Cricket Council (ICC) guidelines. The assigned numbers are kept confidential, even during a player’s absence from the field for an extended period.
The jersey number shuffle has affected young talents like Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill, emphasizing the significance attached to the numbers players wear as they represent their national team.
 has made the decision to retire the iconic No. 7 jersey worn by cricket legend MS Dhoni thr){kind=link}