Cricket legend Sir Don Bradman’s ‘Baggy Green’ cap set to fetch INR 2.2 Crore ahead of second BGT 2024-25 Test (Source: freemalaysiatoday/X)
Team Australia have been hosting India in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT 2024-25), which began on November 22, 2024. However, after initial good starts, the hosts lost their way as the Indian side thrashed them in the first Test to clinch an emphatic victory. However, historically the Kangaroo nation is known for being a tough team, especially in the red-ball aka Test cricket in their den.
Hence, every Australian player takes immense pride in wearing the coveted ‘Baggy Green’ cap before stepping onto the field to face opposition. The moment the term for the Oz cap is mentioned, the cricket fraternity often gets reminded of the greatest player to have ever graced the game in the form of the legendary, Sir Donald Bradman. While both sides are fighting it out for the World Test Championship (WTC) final berth through a five-test match series, Bradman has been garnering all the attention ahead of the second Test to be played in Adelaide from December 6.
Currently, the renowned Australian Test cap, which is in a slightly frazzled condition, was put up on display on December 2, for cricket fans and potential customer looking to get their hands on a piece of rich legacy at a renowned auction house named, Bonhams. Despite the worn-out condition, the auction house has estimated that the cap will fetch an astonishing price of over INR 2 crore (Between US$ 1,95,000 to US$2,60,000 approx), when it will be auctioned on Tuesday, December 3.
Historic importance of Don Bradman’s Baggy Green cap
For the unversed, Bradman wore this cap against Team India in the year 1947-48, where he scored a truckload of runs to prove his mettle against a spirited bowling lineup. During that series at home, Sir Don piled up a mind-boggling 715 runs from just six innings. The legendary Australian went on to score a double century along with three centuries.
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Notably, both nations share a rich cricketing history and Sir Donald Bradman has remained an indispensable part of it. Hence amid the ongoing rivalry in the ongoing BGT 2024-25, the only “known Baggy Green” of Bradman is all set to be auctioned in Sydney. This cap is of utmost significance as it has a memorable and historic connection with India. Interestingly, in a startling revelation in his autobiography, Farewell to Cricket, when Bradman was in the twilight of his illustrious cricket career and was thinking of retiring, he made a big decision to halt his retirement in honour of Team India.
“Believing that the season against India in 1947-48 would be less exacting and that now I was better able to stand up to it, I again felt it my duty to play this one season, especially as it was to be the first tour of Australia by an Indian team,” Bradman mentioned in his book.
For the unversed, the 1947-48 series was the first for India as an independent country and they were also the first Indian side to tour Australia. Hence as a sign of respect, Sir Donald Bradman decided to continue playing ahead and test his batting prowess against a rising Indian side.
Meanwhile, this is not the first instance of Bradman’s going under the hammer. Earlier in the year 2020, Sir Don’s debut Test cap with which he stepped into the field in 1928, fetched a staggering US$2,90,000. Fascinatingly as it may sound, another Australian legend, the Late Shane Warne, broke Bradman’s auction record by getting sold for a mammoth US$ 6,50,000. The legspin wizard in what was a touching gesture had given his cap up for auction in a bid to help the needy people who were severely affected by the Bushfire incident in 2020, before his untimely demise in Thailand.
Besides, Sir Donald Bradman bid adieu to cricket in the following year after playing against India. Incredibly, he last played in The Ashes against England at the renowned venue, The Oval, in London, where he missed out by a whisker to achieve the perfect 100 average by just four runs as he got dismissed for a duck after facing just two deliveries. As a result, every batter has dreamt to try inching closer to the long-standing and phenomenal career average of 99.94, which remains the supreme benchmark of batting in the world of cricket even today.