Tendulkar last wore 'jersey no. 10' in an ODI match against Pakistan on March 18, 2012. | Photo Credit: PTI

In a move which would be welcomed by cricket fans, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is all set to retire 'jersey no. 10' which was worn by Indian batting legend Sachin Tendulkar. The batting maestro, who till date is the only batsman to have scored 100 international centuries, was associated with the jersey till he retired from international cricket in 2013.

While none of the Indian players wore the jersey since Tendulkar's retirement, it was in August last year when pacer Shardul Thakur made his ODI debut by wearing jersey no 10. The debutant was brutally trolled on social media for wearing the jersey with even opener Rohit Sharma posting a tweet to poke fun at him. Later on, in his defence, Thakur explained the reason by choosing No. 10 saying that the digits of his date of birth (16.10.1991) add up to 28 and 2+8 equals 10. (ALSO READ: Here’s why Shardul Thakur chose to wear jersey number 10 on his debut against Sri Lanka)

While cricket fans trolled Thakur, Harbhajan threw his weight behind the pacer as he told The Times of India, "What's the poor guy's fault if he wore that jersey? If he's grown up watching Tendulkar, it may have been his dream to wear the No. 10 jersey and play for India, for which he's worked hard. It could be his way of paying tribute to the great man or emulate him, or it could be his lucky number."

"It's a very individual choice. If players don't want to wear a certain number, one can't force them. ICC might just tell you that a team can't officially retire a jersey but it would never tell you that it's mandatory to wear that number," a BCCI official told PTI.

“It unnecessarily creates controversy and players get criticised,” a BCCI official was quoted as saying by The Indian Express. “So it’s better to retire the number unofficially. Players, though, can wear it when they play for India A or for say a non-international list A match but not during an international.” (ALSO READ: Harbhajan comes to rescue Shardul Thakur after fans troll him for wearing jersey number 10)

The newspaper also reported that BCCI had intimated the players about retiring Tendulkar's jersey.

Mumbai Indians had retired the jersey after Tendulkar retired from the Indian Premier League in 2013.

Tendulkar wore jersey no 10 in 463 ODIs and the lone T20 international he played for Men in Blue. He last wore the jersey in an ODI match against Pakistan on March 18, 2012.

In order to honour their legendary players, several football clubs have retired the jerseys of their iconic players once they hung up their boots.