Former Team India wicket-keeper batsman and ex-selector, Saba Karim, has requested the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to retire the legendary skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s number 7 jersey as a mark of respect to his stellar international career.
The BCCI in the past did retire batting legend Sachin Tendulkar’s No. 10 jersey after Shardul Thakur donning the the same number jersey while playing for India resulted in a controversy.
The legendary wicket-keeper batsman remains one of India’s most successful skippers in the cricket history. From 2007 to 2013, he guided India to all three ICC Trophies in the limited-overs formats. On Wednesday, July 7, Dhoni celebrated his 40th birthday and on the auspicious occasion, he was showered with wishes from the cricket fraternity.
“I think not only MS Dhoni’s jersey, but the BCCI must also preserve the jerseys of many other Indian legends. They must also ensure that the jersey number of that legend is not worn by anyone else,” Karim was quoted as saying on Khleneeti podcast.
“In this manner, one can recognize the achievements and the contributions of the greats of Indian cricket. Most importantly, by doing so you give some much-deserved respect to such legends,” he stated.
Under Dhoni, India won 41 Test matches out of 72, 110 ODI matches out of 200, and 27 T20I games out of 60. On the batting front, he accumulated 17,226 runs in his international career, establishing himself as a “finisher” and dishing out impressive performances in crunch run-chases.
“Although he is no longer part of international cricket, I hope he can continue serving Indian cricket, just like he did all these years. He is grooming a lot of youngsters with the Chennai Super Kings (CSK). I wish he keeps mentoring and guiding young players at the state level as well. If that happens, it will be great for the future of Indian cricket,” said the former wicket-keeper.
Dhoni has retired from international cricket but continues to lead Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League. He will return to action later this year when phase two of IPL 2021 resumes in the UAE.