• Source:JND
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Former India skipper MS Dhoni's No.7 jersey will not be worn by any Indian player as the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) retired the iconic shirt in a tribute to the World Cup-winning captain. Dhoni's No.7 shirt has become the second number to get retired from the Indian dressing room after Sachin Tendulkar's No. 10 jersey.

As per the Indian Express report, BCCI has informed players and debutants to not pick No.7 or No.10 jerseys as they are no longer up for grabs. Dhoni announced his retirement from international cricket in August 2020 and played his last match in the ODI World Cup semifinal. Under his leadership, India got hold of two World Cups - T20 World Cup 2007 and the ODI World Cup 2019 - and also the ICC Champions Trophy in 2013. He became the first captain to win all ICC titles.

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“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,” the newspaper quoted a senior board official as saying.

The BCCI's decision restricts Team India players' options. The International Cricket Council (ICC) generally enables players to choose any number between 1 and 100, however, in India, the choices are limited.

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"At present, 60-odd numbers are designated to the regulars in the Indian team and those in contention. So even if a player is out of the team for about a year or so, we don’t give away his number to a new player. That means a recent debutant has just 30-odd numbers to choose from,” said a BCCI official.

Earlier, youngster Yashasvi Jaiswal wanted to wear No.19 India jersey, the number he wore for his IPL franchise Rajasthan Royals. He was not allowed as the number was already with wicketkeeper-turned-commentator Dinesh Karthik, who is not playing for India but remains an active cricketer.