Former India cricketer and BCCI GM (Cricket Operations) Saba Karim has said that legendary cricketers and their jersey must be retired to preserve their legacy. In recent years, their have been demands to retire the legendary MS Dhoni ‘s jersey No. 7 as a mark of respect to his storied international career.
While there’s no official development on Dhoni’s jersey, the BCCI in the past did retire batting legend Sachin Tendulkar’s No. 10 jersey after Shardul Thakur sporting the same number while playing for India resulted in a furor.
Karim argues that not only the gesture will be a recognition of the contribution of the legends to Indian cricket but will also be seen as a mark of respect as well/
“I think not only MS Dhoni’s jersey, 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. 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,” said Karim on the Khelneeti podcast.
Last year in August, Dhoni announced he’s bringing down curtains on his international career, nearly six years after he quit playing Test cricket. Dhoni though continues to play IPL where he captains Chennai Super Kings.
Karim is hopeful Dhoni will remain linked with Indian cricket post his playing career and contribute towards its further development.
“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,” he said.
