Reasons Behind The Jersey Numbers of Indian Cricketers

Jersey Numbers have been always been synonymous with some of the greatest sportsmen in the world. Whether it is the iconic No.10 jersey which has been worn by legends like Sachin Tendulkar and Lionel Messi, or the No.7 jersey, graced by the likes of David Becham, Cristiano Ronaldo and MS Dhoni, a jersey number tends to become an identity of a sportsman.

If you consider Indian cricket, jersey numbers like 99, 45, 18, 07 and 10 have been synonymous with some of the its greatest cricketers. And, fans have always been intrigued and curious to know about the exact reasons behind a player choosing a certain number.

Here’s a look at the reasons behind the jersey numbers of Indian Cricketers-

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Hardik Pandya- 228

Hardik Pandya has impinged himself as one of the key components of the Indian cricket team, especially in white-ball cricket.

The swashbuckling all-rounder, who made his debut back in 2016, dons the number 228 on his national jersey.

The reason for it is 228 happens to be Hardik’s highest score in competitive cricket. The Baroda all-rounder achieved the feat during a Vijay Merchant U-16 encounter. Coming into bat with his side reeling at 4-23, he smoked his way to a whirlwind double-hundred.

Dinesh Karthik- 21

Dinesh Karthik has had a roller-coaster ride as far as his international career. From spearheading India’s historic Test series win in England as an opener and being part of the 2007 T20 WC and 2013 Champions Trophy campaign to being ousted from the set-up following India’s semi-final defeat to New Zealand last year, Karthik has had his fair share of highs and lows.

Karthik has always donned jersey No.21 ever since he got married to star Indian squash player Dipika Palliakal. Apparently, the reason behind him doing is because No.21 is because it is the date of birth of his champion wife.

Kuldeep Yadav- 23

It’s no secret that Indian left-arm leg-spinner Kuldeep Yadav considers Shane Warne as his idol.

The ‘Chinaman’ has time and again heaped praise on the champion Aussie leg-spinner and how he was a big motivation behind the Kanpur lad taking up leg-spin.

Kuldeep, who is the only Indian to take two hat-tricks in ODI cricket, made his International debut in 2017 and since then he has donned jersey No.23 for Team India. It has been reported that maybe its got to do with Shane Warne’s date of birth.

Shikhar Dhawan- 25

The ‘Gabbar’ of Indian cricket Shikhar Dhawan has been a constant performer in One-day International cricket during the past decade.

Dhawan, who made his debut back in 2010, has forged one of the most successful opening pairs in white-ball cricket alongside Rohit Sharma. Dhawan considers 25 as his lucky family number and perhaps that is the reason why he has done No.25 jersey.

Dhawan’s son Zoraver’s birth date also happens to be 25, as is his Twitter handle: @SDhawan25.

Interestingly, Dhawan recently changed his jersey number from 25 to 42 during the last home season, the reason behind the same is still unknown

Rahul Dravid- 19

Rahul Dravid used to wear jersey No. 5 during the early part of his career. The Indian ‘Wall’ switched to No.24 during the 2004 ODI series against Pakistan and legend has it that Dravid did that to give himself the best possible chance to remember his wife’s birthday.

However, renowned astrologist Sanjay B Jumaani later advised Dravid to change his jersey number from 5 to 19.

“Numerologically, Rahul Dravid is a number 2 person, ruled by the moon. But he needs a stronger number, like 1, which is the number of the sun” Jumaani was quoted as saying by TOI in 2004.

Dravid scored 99 in the very first game after he switched to No.19 and it stayed with him during the remaining part of his career.

Rohit Sharma- 45

What is it with Rohit Sharma and the number 45? Whether it is his jersey number or his social media handle- @ImRo45- the number 45 is omnipresent.

Apparently, 45 happens to be the number that his mother chose for him during his U-19 days.

Rohit was asked the same question during a press conference last year where he said-

“Well, it’s no secret. I still remember we were in Sri Lanka playing the under-19 World Cup and the match was being telecast on TV but we didn’t have a jersey number till then, it was blank.”

“But before the semi-finals, the players were asked to choose a number. Rohit wanted the number 19, but it was not available. “When I did not get the number 19, I called my mom to suggest a number. She suggested 45. I have been playing with the same number since then,” he added.

Yuvraj Singh-12

Yuvraj Singh was born on the 12th of December in the 12th hour of the day in sector 12. Don’t think there is anything left to say now.

Sourav Ganguly- 1, 99 & 24

It’s an open secret that the former Indian captain and the current boss of BCCI is a very superstitious person. And, it reflected in the constant change in his jersey number.

Ganguly initially donned Jersey No.1 and later 99 after Sachin Tendulkar changed his jersey number to 10. Finally, Ganguly settled with the number 24 during the 2003 World Cup following the advice of Sanjay B Jumaani.

MS Dhoni- 7

Jersey No.7 has always been synonymous with legendary sportsmen like Christiano Ronaldo, David Beckham, and our very own Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

Born on July 07, 1981, it is widely believed that one of the major reasons behind choosing jersey no.7 is because of his love for former England captain David Beckham.

Some reports suggest that Dhoni chose the number because of astrological reasons. Dhoni loves No.7 so much that he even has a company by the name of ‘Seven’.

Virat Kohli- 18

Jersey No.18 has become synonymous with the legendary Virat Kohli.

The reason behind the Indian superstar wearing No.18 right from the start of his career is that it happens to be the date of birth of his late father.

Sachin Tendulkar- 99 & 10

Tell me, don’t you still get goosebumps whenever you see that iconic India No.10 jersey? Admit it, we all have dreamt of buying that jersey and frame it in our living room?

Because, why not? After all, it was worn by the ‘God of Cricket’ Sachin Tendulkar.

Sachin, during the initial part of his career, he used to don jersey no.99 before later turning his allegiance to number 10. Many believed that there were astrological reasons behind him switching numbers.

But Tendulkar clarified in multiple interviews that it was because the number was a part of his surname ’10dulkar’.

Sachin continued with No.10 for the remainder of his career.

In 2017, Shardul Thakur faced a severe backlash by the fans after he donned jersey no.10, post which the BCCI decided to retire the jersey as a tribute to the legendary Tendulkar.