MS Dhoni: Is wearing the number 7 shirt a lucky angle?

He has been wearing the number since his international debut in 2004 against Bangladesh. He donned it in every format and is associated with him and his achievements.

Before MS Dhoni emergence, the number was only associated with football icons like David Beckham, Raul,and Cristiano Ronaldo. However, it created a big wave in the world of cricket following the former Indian skipper's rise in popularity.

The iconic wicketkeeper-batsman is the only captain to win all three ICC trophies - the 2007 T20 World Cup, 2011 ODI World Cup, 2013 Champions Trophy.

As the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) sought their fifth IPL title, the captain disclosed the importance of the number. He stressed that his reasons are not superstitious. He addressed his fans during a virtual interaction held by India Cement's and clarified that 7 is a number close to his heart.

He further revealed, "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 the 7th of July. So it's the 7th day of the 7th month, that was the reason."

MS Dhoni continued, "Rather than getting to all the different things as to what a 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, 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 as stated by the legend again," he remarked.

Hence, the revolutionary cricketer updated his answer countless times. "A lot of people said 7 is a neutral number and even if it doesn't work for you, it doesn't really go against you. That also added to my answer," he quipped. "I am not very superstitious about it, but it's one number that is close to my heart and I have kept it over the years with me."

Now, the four-time champions of the Indian Premier League will square off against last year's runners-up Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on March 26, 2022. CSK has faced their mighty opponent 28 times so far, and KKR has only won nine matches.

Their achievements bottle down to two iconic title wins in 2012 and 2014, under Indian southpaw Gautam Gambhir's guidance. On the other hand, CSK is credited with four IPL victories and two Champions League T20 (CLT20) wins.

The IPL opener is expected to be an interesting game where we can expect the captain to adorn his favorite number again. As a prerequisite, he has been practicing in Surat before the commencement of the league alongside his men.

The Chennai Super Kings skipper is content with the facilities offered which was his ideal choice for pre-season training camp.