Suresh Raina firmly urges Jay Shah to honor Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli with a jersey retirement ceremony akin to that of MS Dhoni’s, emphasizing the importance of recognizing their contributions to Indian cricket in a similar manner.

Suresh Raina has called upon the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to honor Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma in a manner similar to MS Dhoni, suggesting the retirement of their jersey numbers 18 and 45 from Indian cricket following their retirement from T20Is. Kohli and Sharma capped off their T20I careers triumphantly by securing the T20 World Cup 2024 title against South Africa in Barbados. This victory marked their first World Cup win together, solidifying their legacy as the top two highest run-scorers in T20I history.

Rohit Sharma scored 4,231 runs in 151 T20I matches at an average of 32.05 and a strike rate over 140. He hit five centuries and 32 half-centuries, with a highest score of 121*. Meanwhile, Virat Kohli amassed 4,188 runs in 125 matches at an average of 48.69 and a strike rate of 137.04, including one century and 38 fifties.

They Need To Have A Special Occasion – Suresh Raina

During his appearance on Jio Cinema, Suresh Raina made a passionate plea to the BCCI, advocating for the retirement of jersey numbers 18 (Virat Kohli) and 45 (Rohit Sharma) in honor of the retiring stalwarts. Drawing parallels to the retirement of jersey number 7 following MS Dhoni’s retirement, Raina emphasized the symbolic gesture as a means to inspire upcoming generations of cricketers. He stressed that such recognition would not only commemorate Kohli and Sharma’s illustrious careers but also serve as a motivational symbol for future players aspiring to achieve similar heights in Indian cricket.

“I request the BCCI to retire jerseys No.18 and No.45. They need to have a special occasion where they keep these jersey numbers in their office. The number 7 is already retired, they should do the same for 18 and 45. Every person who sees the number should get motivated. The numbers 18 and 45 have won India games from so many situations that whichever player comes into the team, they should feel motivated by just looking at these numbers,” Raina said on Jio Cinema.

Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli played pivotal roles in India’s victory in the T20 World Cup. Rohit was the top run-scorer for India in the marquee tournament. Virat played a crucial innings of 76 runs in the final to help secure the win. The Men in Blue maintained an unbeaten record throughout the tournament.

That’s Exactly What You Need To Do – Abhinav Mukund

Former Indian opener Abhinav Mukund echoed Suresh Raina’s suggestion to retire the jerseys of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. Mukund highlighted how retiring the jerseys of legendary players adds prestige, drawing parallels with practices in the NBA.

“I follow the NBA and they retire the players’ iconic jerseys. That’s exactly what you need to do. Imagine the pressure on the next guy who is going to wear the No.18 jersey and walk out to bat,” Mukund said.

Following India’s T20 World Cup triumph, both Kohli and Sharma participated in a celebratory open bus parade through Mumbai on July 4. At the historic Wankhede Stadium, the batting pair joyfully danced to the tune of ‘Chak de India’. Despite bidding farewell to T20 cricket, they remain committed to representing India in Test and ODI formats, continuing to contribute to the national team across different formats of the game.