The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) chose to retire MS Dhoni’s number 7, which he wore during his international and Indian Premier League career. This means that no player will ever wear that number on their jersey in Indian cricket.

Dhoni declared on Instagram on August 15, 2020, that he was retiring from international cricket. His final match for India was in the 2019 ODI World Cup semi-final. Since then, no Indian cricketer has worn number seven.

After Sachin Tendulkar, Dhoni was the second player to have the BCCI retire his jersey.

The Board has informed national team players, especially debutants, that they don’t have the option of picking jerseys No. 10 or 07.

A renowned character in cricket, Dhoni has an incredible record as a leader and player. He won all three of the main ICC trophies—the 2007 T20 World Cup, the 2011 ODI World Cup, and the 2013 Champions Trophy—while serving as captain of the Indian squad.

In 350 ODI matches for India, Dhoni scored 10,773 runs at an average of 50.57, with 73 half-centuries and 10 centuries. Dhoni amassed 1617 runs in 98 T20I matches at an average of 37.60 and a strike rate of 126.13. In 97 Test matches, he amassed 4876 runs with six hundred and thirty-three fifties. As a wicketkeeper, he also recorded 294 dismissals.

Not just cricket teams retire their shirts; football and basketball teams also follow this practice. In remembrance of Michael Jordan, the Chicago Bulls retired the iconic number 23 jersey, and the Italian team Napoli retired Diego Maradona’s iconic number 10 kit.

There are only roughly thirty numbers available for young players to select from, according to a BCCI official. While players can choose any number between 1 and 100, according to the International Cricket Council (ICC), regular Indian team players and those who are in contention are assigned at least 60 numbers. According to the article, the number is kept secret even when a player misses roughly a year of action.

Yashasvi Jaiswal, 21, was forced to forfeit his jersey No. 19-for-64 selection since it was assigned to cricketer-turned-commentator Dinesh Kartik, who is an active rather than a regular player. Shubman Gill, too, was unable to obtain No. 7 since it was already occupied and had to settle for No. 77, which he continues to wear as a member of the senior squad.