'One number that...: MS Dhoni spills the beans about his special bond with number 7

MS Dhoni, one of the greatest cricketers in the history of the sport, turned 42 years old this Friday. The Chennai Super Kings captain is known for his decorated career, as the former Indian skipper recently led CSK to their 5th IPL title after beating Gujarat Titans at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad. 

3 things you need to know 

• MS Dhoni won all 3 ICC trophies as a captain
• The 42-year-old is the only skipper to have won the IPL, CL T20 and two World Cups
• MS Dhoni has won 5 IPL trophies  

Also Read: Happy Birthday MS Dhoni, The Man, The Myth, The Legend

MS Dhoni and the No. 7 jersey. 

The relationship between MS Dhoni and the number 7 is unbreakable. The renowned wicket-keeper batsman has proudly donned the illustrious No. 7 shirt since his debut in 2004 in a series clash against Bangladesh, turning it into a representation of his individuality as the iconic No. 7 jersey is also worn by another sporting great, Cristiano Ronaldo. Despite hanging up his boots in International cricket in 2019, Dhoni still contributes significantly to the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) team as he led them to their 5th IPL Trophy this year, beating the Gujarat Titans and tying the score of the most IPL trophies with the Mumbai Indians. Dhoni has solidified his place as one of the best cricketers and also one of the best athletes to ever wear the No. 7 jersey.

Dhoni, who is considered one of the sport's most successful leaders, discussed the significance of wearing the No. 7 shirt but ruled out any superstitious implications. There were suggestions to honour Dhoni's contributions to Indian cricket by retiring the jersey number in 2019 after his retirement from international cricket. The 42-year-old Dhoni revealed the "simple" rationale for choosing the number, claiming that the figure represents his date of birth.

What did MS Dhoni say about choosing the No. 7 jersey? 

"A lot of people initially thought that 7 is a lucky number for me and all of that. But I chose the number for a very simple reason. I was born on July 7. So it's the 7th day of the 7th month, that was the reason," 

"Rather than getting into all the different things as to what number is a good number and all, I thought I will use my date of birth as the number. Then, whenever people kept asking me, I kept adding to the answer. 81 was the year, 8-1 is again 7, and 7 is a very neutral number. People actually kept telling me, I started absorbing it and I started telling it to others in the same way," 

Also Read: 'The Greatest There Is': Netizens Slip Into Euphoria As MS Dhoni Celebrates 42nd Birthday
MS Dhoni discusses the significance of the number 7 to him in these remarks. Contrary to common perception, he picked the number not for its imagined good fortune, but because it matches his birthday, July 7th. During a virtual encounter with India Cements, Dhoni said that he chose to use his birth date as his jersey number in order to keep things simple and personal.

In response to questions regarding the meaning of the number, Dhoni began to elaborate on his explanation. The year 1981, in which he was born, may be represented mathematically as 8-1, which equals 7. He accepted that the number seven is neutral and neither inherently fortunate nor bad. Dhoni acknowledges that the number holds a particular place in his heart and that he has chosen to carry it with him throughout the years even if he is not superstitious about it.