Players and fans took to social media on Saturday urging the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to retire Jersey number even belonging to two-time World Cup-winning former India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni shortly after the cricketer announced his retirement from international cricket.
“Thanks a lot for ur love and support throughout. from 1929hrs consider me as retired,” Dhoni wrote on Instagram.
He will however be playing in this year’s Indian Premier League (IPL), which is slated to begin from September 19 in UAE.
Cricketers and fans took to social media to express their gratitude to the cricketer and urged BCCI to retire his official jersey.
“Can't imagine any one else wearing a Number 7 India jersey again. Thank you for the unforgettable memories #MSDhoni. See you in UAE,” wrote Mohammad Kaif.
“Jersey number 7 was not just a number but an emotion the country is going to miss #champion #Inspiration @msdhoni,” tweeted Rahul Chahar.
“This is the last photo taken after our semis at the World Cup.lots of great memories through this journey. I hope the @bcci retire the #7 jersey in white ball cricket Red heart
Good luck with your second innings in life , I’m sure you’ll have a lot of surprises for us there too,” Dinesh Karthik tweeted.
Fans began trending #RetireJersey7 on Twitter.
“The only thing BCCI can do is to retire Jersey Number 7 because its not just another number! Its an emotion for many players and fans all over the world!” a fan wrote on the micro-blogging platform.
The 33-year-old cricketer has scored centuries across formats and has played 18 Tests, 226 ODIs and 78 T20 Internationals with nearly 8,000 international runs.
One of his most memorable moments is leading the Indian Cricket Team to a tricky win in the World Cup quarter-final against Australia during the triumphant 2011 campaign.