What’s a fitting tribute to a sportsperson besides adulation from contemporaries and fans showering love? A farewell match? Lifetime retirement benefits?
MS Dhoni, the most recluse among India’s celebrated sports stars, doesn’t crave any of these.
But the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has decided to honour him in a unique way by preserving the exclusivity of his No. 7 jersey.
Sachin Tendulkar is the only other cricketer who enjoys a similar honour. His No. 10 jersey was ‘retired’ in 2017, four years after he called it quits.
“Three years after he hung his boots as an international cricketer, the Indian cricket board, in a tribute to his contribution to the sport, has decided to ‘retire’ the number sported by the World Cup-winning captain,” claimed a report in The Indian Express.
“The young players and current Indian team players have been told not to pick M S Dhoni’s Number 7 jersey. The BCCI has decided to retire Dhoni’s T-shirt for his contribution to the game. A new player can’t get No. 7, and No. 10 was already off the list of available numbers,” a senior BCCI official was quoted as saying by the paper.
Dhoni, who led India to two World Cup triumphs, T20 World Cup in 2007 and ODI World Cup in 2011, followed by a Champions Trophy win in 2013, retired from all formats of cricket on August 15, 2020.
He still leads the Chennai Super Kings in the IPL.
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