NEW DELHI: It’s an iconic number in Indian cricket history. The No 10 jersey, worn by the legendary Sachin Tendulkar, could be retired by the BCCI, TOI Sports has learned.
Tendulkar, who holds several batting records, wore the No 10 blue India jersey during a record-setting ODI career – as well as in a solitary Twenty20 international – that ended in March 2012.
Fans of the game will remember that a few months ago, during the ODI leg of India’s tour of Sri Lanka, the Mumbai pace bowler Shardul Thakur made his debut with the No 10 on his back. In no time, Thakur and the BCCI became the subject of a wave of displeasure and widespread agitation on social media.
To avoid any such backlash, TOI has learned, the BCCI decided to consult with players within the current Indian team to retire the No 10 jersey for International fixtures.
As the ICC guidelines do not allow for a number to be retired, and since there is no provision for taking permission from cricket’s governing body, the BCCI has mulled unofficially returning Tendulkar’s number.
“As per the rules, BCCI would have to go to ICC for officially retiring a jersey; so, for the time being the team members have been unofficially told that the No 10 jersey will not to be worn during international fixtures,” a source close to the BCCI told TOI Sports.
