Retire No. 7 jersey to respect MS Dhoni's contribution to Indian cricket: Saba Karim 

Former India wicketkeeper-batsman Saba Karim has requested the BCCI to retire the No. 7 jersey to respect MS Dhoni's significant contributions to Indian cricket. According to Karim, the BCCI must preserve the jerseys of not just Dhoni but many other Indian legends as well.

Dhoni turned 40 on Wednesday and wishes poured in for the former India captain from fans and the cricketing fraternity. In the Khelneeti podcast, Karim stated that it is important for the BCCI to respect the greats of Indian cricket. He opined:

“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.”

Dhoni is regarded as one of the greatest wicketkeeper-batsman and captains in the history of the game. He scored over 10000 runs in ODIs from 350 matches at an average of 50.57. Dhoni also amassed 4876 runs from 90 Tests at an average of 38.09.

He is also the only captain to win all three ICC titles - theT20 World Cup in 2007, the 50-over World Cup in 2011 and the 2013 Champions Trophy.

Wishing the great Indian captain @MSDhoni a very Happy Birthday! God bless pic.twitter.com/OrDwBe3dLS

— Yuvraj Singh (@YUVSTRONG12) July 7, 2021

I hope MS Dhoni keeps mentoring and guiding young players: Saba Karim

Dhoni retired from international cricket on August 15, 2020, a year after he played his last match for India - the 2019 World Cup semi-final against New Zealand in Manchester.

According to Karim, although Dhoni is no longer part of the Indian setup, he can still contribute a lot to the game in the country. Karim said:

“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.”

" @MSDhoni can continue Playing for another one or two years with CSK. Don't see any reason why he should stop " - #CSK CEO 💛 pic.twitter.com/xRm2WvAhS4

— DHONI Army TN™ (@DhoniArmyTN) July 8, 2021

Dhoni led CSK in the first half of IPL 2021 until the T20 league was suspended. The franchise won five of their seven matches and were second in the points table when the tournament came to a halt. He will be seen in action again when IPL 2021 resumes in the UAE in September.