Since the introduction of jersey numbers in cricket, there have been many players who have become synonymous with their jersey numbers. Some of the cricketers have no particular reason behind these numbers, meanwhile, for others, it could just be a superstition or any other relation with the number.
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A few jersey numbers have been immortalized forever in Indian cricket. These jerseys belong to notable players who have made countless contributions to the game. Such players have been shown a mark of respect by the BCCI by retiring their jersey numbers. Sachin Tendulkar and MS Dhoni’s iconic 10 and 7 numbers have already been retired by the BCCI and it would not be a surprise to see a few more in the future. Here are a few celebrated Indian cricketers and their jersey numbers:
When someone talks about Indian cricket, the name of Sachin Tendulkar is always mentioned in the same breath. Tendulkar is unarguably the greatest player in the sport. He is known as the ‘God of Cricket’ and is treated like one in India.
The right-handed batter created multiple batting and still holds most of them in spite of being a retired player for more than a decade. In his 24-year career, he won multiple matches single-handedly.
During his playing days, Tendulkar tried several jersey numbers including 99 and 33. At the beginning of his career, there were no numbered jerseys. Sachin for the longest period of time was the only Indian player to wear the number 10 jersey. He landed on using the number 10 for the major part of his career. Reportedly, Tendulkar used the number 10 for astrological reasons.
Tendulkar played his last match for India in 2013. His number 10 jersey was retired by BCCI much later. In 2017, Shardul Thakur made his ODI debut and wore the number 10 jersey. Shardul’s decision to wear jersey number 10 raised multiple controversies which led to BCCI retiring the iconic number.
Former Indian skipper, MS Dhoni has been one of the greatest players. Dhoni is the only captain to win the T20 World Cup, the ODI World Cup, and the Champions Trophy. The right-handed batter has a massive fan following in India.
Dhoni retired from International cricket in 2020, however, he still plays in the IPL for Chennai Super Kings. Wherever CSK the massive fan following of Dhoni results in a yellow brigade in stadiums.
Dhoni wore the number 7 for the entirety of his career and never played while wearing any other number. The reason for Dhoni’s choice of 7 as his jersey number is based on his birth date.
Dhoni was born on the 7th of July in 1981. The date and even the month are seven. Furthermore, if the last two digits of his birth year are subtracted then the result would be seven (8-1=7).
For the last couple of years, the iconic seven number has been trending on social media with the hashtag ‘Thala for a reason’. The margin of victory or defeat is often correlated with this hashtag by Dhoni fans.
India’s most successful test captain, Virat Kohli has been a great player for India over the years. When it comes to all three formats there hasn’t been any player in the history of the sport who has been as consistent as Kohli is.
Kohli holds multiple batting records and is the only player to score fifty centuries in ODI cricket. The ODI format has been his best format and he has single-handedly won multiple games for India, especially, when chasing a target.
He holds the record for scoring the most runs in a single edition of the ODI World Cup. He scored 765 runs in the 2023 ODI World Cup where he was also the player of the tournament. Although he could only end up as the runner-up in 2023 he played a crucial knock in the finals of the 2011 ODI World Cup where India won the title after 28 years.
Kohli has worn the number 18 jersey since the beginning of his career. The reason behind him playing with the number 18 jersey is that two of the most important dates in his life happened to be 18. The Indian run-machine lost his father when he was only 18 years old on the 18th of December, 2006. His national team debut too came on the 18th of August in 2008.
The latest Indian captain to win an ICC tournament is Rohit Sharma. The former T20I skipper won the T20 World Cup in 2024. The trophy ended India’s poor run at ICC tournaments where they had failed to win a trophy for 11 years.
Rohit has been a great skipper and holds many captaincy records. The Hitman started his career as a middle-order batter who could bowl a bit off-spin. However, since he has become an opening batter, Rohit has been an unstoppable force in world cricket.
Interestingly, unlike many other players, Rohit did not want 45 to be his jersey number. The 37-year-old wanted number nine on his jersey. However, when he went to choose the number nine in the Under 19 World Cup in 2006 it was already taken by some other player. Rohit’s mother suggested that he should choose 45 as his number as the two digits add up to nine. Even after retiring from the T20Is his jersey still remains one of the most sold among the current Indian players.
Yuvraj Singh probably has been the best player for India in ICC tournaments. India won the inaugural T20 World Cup in 2007 largely because of his performance with the bat in hand. His six sixes in an over against Stuart Broad in the 2007 T20 World Cup will always be remembered by every fan.
The Indian all-rounder was also the Player of the Tournament in the 2011 ODI World Cup when India won the title after 28 years. Yuvraj has been an inspiration to many people around the world thanks to his performances on the field but also his battle against lung cancer off the field. The former all-rounder was diagnosed with lung cancer but he fought the ailment and even made a comeback into the national side.
Yuvraj’s decision to choose number 12 as his jersey number was inspired by things in his life. The Indian all-rounder was born on the 12th hour of the 12th day of the 12th month. He also lived in Sector 12, Chandigarh. His numerous connections to the number 12 made him choose it as his jersey number.
Rahul Dravid, the former Indian head coach is one of the most respected players around the world. Dravid was a great player for India in test cricket and was part of the incredible partnership with VVS Laxman which allowed India to defeat Australia even after being asked to follow one.
His contributions to the Indian cricket team cannot be judged solely on the basis of his batting numbers. Just to accommodate an extra player in the ODI teams, Dravid would keep the wickets which allowed Sourav Ganguly to have players like Mohammad Kaif in the team.
Dravid wore the number 19 cricket jersey. His decision to choose the number was not based on any superstition but he once jokingly said it was the easiest way to remember his wife’s birthday.
Ravindra Jadeja could well retire from Indian cricket being one of the most underrated players in the country. He played at a time when India had great batters and bowlers who took the limelight. However, there was one aspect in which Jadeja always excelled and that was his fielding. His fielding made him an indispensable player in the limited overs. He has taken some great catches and affected some of the best run-outs while representing India.
Jadeja wanted the number 12 as his jersey number as it is his lucky number but because Yuvraj Singh already had that number he had to choose a different one. He chose the number 8 because of his birth date. His birth date is 6th December 1988. If you add the numbers of his birth date you get (6 + 12 + 1 + 9 + 8 + 8 = 44; 4 + 4 = 8).
Even after Yuvraj retired, Jadeja continued with the number 8 because of the success he had achieved wearing this number. Interestingly, Jadeja made his debut for India on the 9th of February 2009.
Hardik Pandya is India’s premier all-rounder in white-ball cricket. He has been the clutch performer for the team in many games. Pandya’s best has come in pressure situations whether it was the final of the T20 World Cup 2024 or defending only two runs in the last three balls against Bangladesh.
Pandya in the beginning of his career had 228 as his cricket jersey numbers. He chose the number because of his knock of 228 runs against Mumbai in a Vijay Merchant U-16 match. That knock too came in a pressure situation when his team lost four wickets for less than 30 runs.
Later in his career, he shifted to number 33. Initially, he wanted number three as his cricket jersey numbers but as it was already taken by Suresh Raina and Harbhajan Singh, Pandya decided to have two threes and chose 33.
Ravichandran Ashwin has been an integral part of Indian cricket, particularly in tests. The off-spinner has been the biggest reason for India’s domination in the format at home. He also played an important role in India’s historic win at the Australian shores in 2020/21 where he along with Hanum Vihari batted out for a draw in Sydney.
Ashwin chose the number 99 as his cricket jersey numbers because his favorite number was nine. During his school days, his role number was also nine. Initially, he wanted the number nine for his jersey but because it was already taken by some other player he chose 99.
There have been many players in International cricket who have changed their cricket jersey numbers. The reasons behind changing their numbers are different for everyone. While for some it is related to a milestone in cricket for others it could be superstition.
Virender Sehwag is one of those Indian cricketer who played with many different numbers on the back of his shirt. Sehwag earlier played with number 44. His mother after considering an astrologer advised him to change it to 46. After his marriage, Sehwag’s wife suggested that the number 46 was unlucky and that he should change it to 2. After a lot of changing of numbers, Sehwag decided to wear a plain jersey without any number as he did not need a number to perform well in cricket.
While Rahul Dravid was unfazed when playing his jersey number was changed mid-way through his career. Just like Sehwag, Dravid’s marriage did play a role in the change. The ‘Wall of Indian Cricket’ changed his number from 5 to 19 and jokingly said it was done to remember his wife’s birthday. The plan was so good that it was later reused by Dinesh Karthik.
In IPL 2018, West Indies cricketers Dwayne Bravo and Kieron Pollard also changed their cricket jersey numbers. Both the players playing for different teams chose the number 400 as their jersey number. Pollard’s reasoning behind choosing 400 was that he became the first player to play 400 T20 matches. However, Bravo’s reasoning behind choosing the number 400 was that his wicket tally of 400 T20 wickets.
Ashwell Prince from South Africa used to wear number 5 on his jersey which was previously worn by Hansie Cronje. However, after the untimely death of Cronje, Prince changed it to 5 + 0.
Herschelle Gibbs was another South African player on this list who changed his cricket jersey numbers almost every year. Gibbs started his career with 00 as his jersey number. The opening batter in 2005 decided to change his cricket jersey numbers every year and place the last two digits of the year on the back. He had 05, 06, 07, 08, and 09 while playing for South Africa.
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