No other cricket player from India will be wearing MS Dhoni’s renowned No. 7 jersey. Tributary to his contribution to the sport, the Indian cricket board has chosen to retire’ the captain’s number worn by the World Cup-winning team three years after he hung up his boots as an international player.
Sachin Tendulkar is the only other cricket player to have received a similar honor; in 2017, he also had his iconic No. 10 jersey permanently retired.
The BCCI reportedly told the national team’s players—particularly the rookies—that they would not be able to choose numbers connected to Tendulkar and Dhoni.
The BCCI’s ruling somewhat restricts the options available to Team India players. The ICC generally permits players to select any number between 1 and 100, but there aren’t many options available in India.