Shubman Gill, one of India’s rising stars in international cricket, has made a significant impact across formats while donning Jersey Number 77. However, this wasn’t his first choice, as Gill himself revealed earlier this year during an interview with Star Sports Network.

Born in Fazilka, Punjab, Gill initially had his heart set on wearing Jersey Number 7, a number he also wanted during his successful tenure as vice-captain of India’s U-19 team. Unfortunately, the number wasn’t available at the time, leading him to settle for 77 instead.

“My jersey number is 77. The reason behind choosing this number is that when I played the Under-19 World Cup, I wanted Jersey Number 7, but it wasn’t available. So, I opted for two 7s instead,” Gill explained.

The reason Gill couldn’t secure Jersey Number 7 was that it was already taken by his U-19 teammate Shiva Singh, a slow left-arm spinner. In the U-19 World Cup final against Australia, Singh emerged the most crucial player with two critical wickets. At the senior level, Jersey Number 7 has become closely identified with Mahendra Singh Dhoni, the legendary two-time World Cup-winning captain.

The BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) has formally decided to retire Jersey Number 7 earlier this week, ensuring no Indian cricketer would ever don it in the future. In bestowing this honor on him, Dhoni joins Sachin Tendulkar as the only other Indian cricketer and becomes the 12th player in the world whose number has been retired.

Interestingly, Gill’s close friend and Indian wicket-keeper Ishan Kishan also wears a different number for international matches. While Kishan prefers Jersey Number 23, which he wears for Mumbai Indians in the IPL, he represents India in Jersey Number 32.

Gill Wears Jersey Number 7 for Gujarat Titans in the IPL

Although Gill couldn’t wear Jersey Number 7 in international cricket, he was able to claim his desired number while playing for Gujarat Titans in the IPL. After being released from Kolkata Knight Riders, he joined the Gujarat Titans in his debut season and wore Jersey No 7.

Even though the BCCI reitred jersey No. 7 for India, the number remains available for the IPL players, so he can keep wearing No. 7 in the IPL. However, while playing for India, he has been connected to the jersey number 77 ever since he played for U-19.

It should be noted that back during his debut match at the KKR team in 2016, there was not one player with Jersey Number 7 on the team. Had he desired, Gill could have claimed the number at that time. However, Gill decided to stay with the number 77 as a mark of respect to the U-19 team that first recognized him and where his success emanated from.