No 7 Retires: BCCI withdraws Dhoni's iconic jersey number to honour WC winning captain

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) withdrew jersey No. 7 in honour of India's World Cup winnings captain MS Dhoni on Friday. The board has reportedly communicated to all Indian cricketers that they cannot select that particular number as a jersey number.

New Delhi: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has decided to withdraw jersey No. 7 in the honour of former skipper MS Dhoni on Friday. The Board has reportedly communicated to all Indian cricketers that they won't be able to pick that designated number.

Dhoni is the only captain in world cricket to win all three major white-ball ICC trophies, including the ODI (2011) and T20 (2007) World Cup and Champions Trophy 2013. He is renowned as one of the best captains in the world. The wicket-keeper batter has also won joint-most five Indian Premier League (IPL) and two Champions League T20 Trophies.

On cricketer MS Dhoni's jersey being withdrawn by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), Rajeev Shukla (Vice-President BCCI) said, “This decision by the BCCI is keeping in mind the contribution of MS Dhoni in national as well as international cricket and is an honour for him. Jersey No 7 was an identity for MS Dhoni, and to prevent that brand from being diluted, this step taken by BCCI is worth appreciating.”

The No.7 is only the second jersey to be withdrawn by the BCCI after legendary batter Sachin Tendulkar's iconic No. 10 jersey. Tendulkar ended his international career in 2013, and since then no Indian player had worn No. 10 jersey in international cricket until Shardul Thakur did it in 2017, after which the BCCI decided to withdraw the jersey number.

MS Dhoni announced his retirement from International Cricket on August 15, 2020. However, he continued to lead Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the IPL.