Players and fans yesterday urged India’s cricket board to retire Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s number seven jersey in a tribute to the two-time World Cup winning captain.
Dhoni, 39, called time on his 16-year-old international career Saturday with a cryptic message on his Instagram post that read “From 1929hrs consider me as retired”.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India confirmed the news in a statement, saying: “The boy from Ranchi, who made his ODI debut in 2004, changed the face of Indian cricket with his calm demeanour, sharp understanding of the game and astute leadership qualities.”
Dhoni’s legions of fans including 7.8mn Twitter followers and former teammate Dinesh Karthik said they did not want to see 7 on the back of any other Indian cricketer’s jersey.
“I hope the @bcci retire the #7 jersey in white ball cricket Good luck with your second innings in life, I’m sure you’ll have a lot of surprises for us there too,” Karthik, a wicketkeeper-batsman, tweeted.
Former batsman Mohamed Kaif agreed, writing on Twitter: “Can’t imagine any one else wearing a Number 7 India jersey again.”
There is no provision to retire jerseys in cricket, unlike in football.
But the BCCI unofficially retired batting great Sachin Tendulkar’s number 10 shirt a few years after his retirement.
Dhoni, a flamboyant wicketkeeper-batsman who led India to win the inaugural Twenty20 World Cup in 2007 and lifted the 50-over showpiece event in 2011, was born on July 7.
He is a self-confessed fan of Portuguese football megastar Cristiano Ronaldo, who also wears a famous number seven jersey.

‘All-time great’
“@BCCI should retire “Jersey Number 7” as a Tribute to Legend MS Dhoni,” a fan wrote on Twitter.
Another fan urged social media users to start trending “#RetireJersey7” as “Jersey number 7 was not just a number but an emotion the country is going to miss”.
Dhoni, dubbed ‘Captain Cool’ because of his unflappable style, will continue to lead his team Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League starting in the United Arab Emirates next month.
Dhoni quit Tests in 2014 and has not played for the national side since India’s World Cup semi-final loss against New Zealand in England last year — his 350th one-day international.
Cricketers from across the globe and Indian media paid tribute to the glittering career of Dhoni, who was fondly called ‘Mahi’ by his teammates.
“M.S. Dhoni is one of the all-time greats of the game,” International Cricket Council’s chief executive Manu Sawhney said in a statement.
“He has inspired a whole generation and will be sorely missed.”
The Times of India newspaper splashed across its front page: “The end of an era: Dhoni calls it a day, Mahi way.”
“Welcome to the retirement club, MSD! What a magical career!,” former England batsman Kevin Pietersen tweeted.
Australian opener David Warner wrote: “Congrats @msdhoni on a fantastic career, he is one of the coolest guys I’ve played against on the park.”
“One of the true legends of Indian cricket and one of the greatest captains, congratulations on a great career MS Dhoni! All the best for your future,” former Pakistan skipper Shahid Afridi added on social media.


Indian star Dhoni’s five notable innings

Early impression: Visakhapatnam, 2005 

Mahendra Singh Dhoni put aside scores of zero, 12, seven and three to announce himself in his fifth ODI with a match-winning 148 against India’s arch-rivals Pakistan.
Coming in one-down in a team that included Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and Virender Sehwag, Dhoni stole the limelight with his 123-ball blitz.
The wicketkeeper-batsman smashed 15 fours and four sixes to guide India to 356 and a 58-run win in Visakhapatnam.

Rise of the Ranchi star: Jaipur, 2005 

It was never easy to take the crease after Tendulkar in an Indian stadium. But after the superstar fell for just two during a Jaipur ODI, a young Dhoni tore into the Sri Lankan attack with an unbeaten 183.
The devastating knock helped India chase a target of 299 and made the cricket world take notice.
It remains his highest-ever ODI score.

History: Mumbai, 2011 

With India chasing Sri Lanka’s 275 on home soil in the ODI World Cup final, Dhoni — who had earned the nickname “Captain Cool” — soaked in the pressure to hit an unbeaten 91.
He whacked Nuwan Kulasekara for six to win the final in Mumbai, triggering wild celebrations in cricket-mad India whose fans had waited 28 years for an ODI World Cup.
The innings, and the final shot over the fence, cemented Dhoni’s status as one of India’s greatest ever cricketers.

Marathon man:Chennai, 2013 

While best-known for his explosive batting in limited-overs formats, Dhoni often stamped his authority in Tests too.
In the first match of a four-Test home series, Dhoni hammered the Aussie attack led by Mitchell Starc for 224 at Chennai in an innings that lasted more than six hours.
India won the Test, and went on to whitewash the visitors as Dhoni established himself as one of India’s most successful captains.

T20 Glory: Bangalore, 2017 

Dhoni led India to victory in the inaugural T20 World Cup in 2007, beating Pakistan in the final at Johannesburg. And while he never scored a T20 hundred, he made a difference with numerous key knocks.
Among the most memorable Dhoni T20 innings is the 56 against England in Bangalore in 2017 — his highest T20 score. With wristy flicks and big hits down the ground, the skipper guided India to 202 and a comfortable win.