M S Dhoni’s iconic No. 7 jersey won’t be seen on any other India cricketer. 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.
The only other cricketer bestowed a similar honour is Sachin Tendulkar — in 2017, his signature No. 10 jersey too was folded away for good.
It is learnt that the BCCI has informed players in the national team, especially the debutants, that they don’t have the option of numbers associated with Tendulkar and Dhoni.
“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,” said a senior Board official.
The BCCI’s decision somewhat limits the choices for Team India players. As a rule, the ICC allows players to pick any number between 1 and 100, but in India, the options are limited. “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 this year, when 21-year-old opener Yashasvi Jaiswal was making his India debut, he was keen on No. 19, the number he has on his back when playing for Rajasthan Royals.
Tag: MS Dhoni
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In a tribute to MS Dhoni, no Indian will ever don number 7 jersey
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MS Dhoni among five Indian cricketers to get MCC life membership
London (TIP)- The prestigious Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) housed at the iconic Lord’s cricket ground, on Wednesday, gave ‘Life Membership’ to World Cup winning captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni along with four other distinguished India internationals.
The other include, Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, former women’s national captain Mithali Raj and the legendary Jhulan Goswami. The MCC announced naming 19 new honorary life members who represented eight Test-playing countries. The club’s cricket committee considers the nomination of players for life membership as recognition to the ‘outstanding international careers for some of the greats of the game’. The membership is also given to those individuals who have made an ‘exceptional contribution’ to the club or the sport.
Five Indian players have been recognised with Honorary Life Membership. Jhulan Goswami, who bowed out from internationals in the England v India Women’s One-Day International at Lord’s last year, is the leading wicket-taker in women’s ODIs whilst Mithali Raj heads the run-scoring list with 7,805 in 211 innings,” said the MCC on its website. “MS Dhoni and Yuvraj Singh were both integral parts of the India side which won the 2007 ICC Men’s World T20 and the 2011 ICC Men’s World Cup, and Suresh Raina scored over 5,500 ODI runs across a 13-year career,” the note added.
The CEO and secretary of the MCC, Guy Lavender said, “We are thrilled to be able to announce our newest cohort of Honorary Life Members of MCC, as we prepare for the new international summer.
“The names that have been announced today are some of the greatest international players of modern times, and we are privileged to now count them as valued Members of our Club.”
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IPL 2022: MS Dhoni passes CSK baton to Ravindra Jadeja
Mumbai (TIP)- Twelve seasons, four title triumphs and five runner-up finishes later, the iconic Mahendra Singh Dhoni has decided to hand over the captaincy of Chennai Super Kings to his trusted lieutenant Ravindra Jadeja.
But the 40-year-old will continue to represent the franchise for the “season and beyond”, having led one of the most successful IPL sides since the tournament’s inception in 2008, barring the two seasons when the team was suspended in the wake of the spot-fixing scandal. “MS Dhoni has decided to hand over the leadership of Chennai Super Kings and picked Ravindra Jadeja to lead the team. Jadeja, who has been an integral part of Chennai Super Kings since 2012, will only be the third player to lead CSK,” said CSK in a statement, adding: “Dhoni will continue to represent Chennai Super Kings this season and beyond.”
Dhoni, who will turn 41 in July, had announced his international retirement on August 15, 2020 and yet led CSK to their fourth title last season. CSK play KKR in the first match of IPL-15 here on Saturday.
Feeling good: Jadeja
“Feeling good but at the same time I need to fill in big boots,” said Jadeja in a video shared by CSK on Twitter. “Like Mahi bhai has already set a big legacy and we need to carry it forward, so hopefully I will. And I don’t need to worry too much because he’s here and whatever question I need to ask, I’ll definitely go to him. He was my go-to person and he still is today, so I’m not worried too much.” India’s World Cup-winning captain Dhoni has always been his own man when it comes to leaving captaincy or announcing his retirement.
He quit Test captaincy and also the five-day game in the middle of a series in Australia in 2014. And when he was sure Virat Kohli was ready to lead India across formats, Dhoni made the way for him in 2017. Though the inspirational leader carried on to play the IPL after announcing his international retirement in his inimitable style, his decision to hand over the CSK leadership to Jadeja was not entirely surprising.
The 33-year-old Jadeja, who is at the peak of his prowess, is ready for the challenge. The southpaw was CSK’s first retention before the auction ahead of Dhoni, Moeen Ali and Ruturaj Gaikwad.
The announcement still took CSK CEO Kasi Viswanathan by surprise, but said: “Whatever decision MS takes it is in the best interest of the team.”
It can be safely said that CSK couldn’t have become the brand it became without the charismatic Dhoni, who developed a special bond with the team and its fanatical fans. Source: PTI