All gone for Rs 8.5L to Indian-origin bizman!

Sydney-based businessman of Indian origin, Ram Chhabra won bids for all three Indian cricket related items that were auctioned for charity at The Chappell Foundation’s (TCF) eighth annual dinner in Sydney on Wednesday. Australian-born Chhabra, 48, bought India opening batsman Yashasvi Jaiswal’s 2024-2025 Border-Gavaskar Trophy series bat (AUD 6000, approx Rs 3.25 lakh), a bat signed by members of the Indian team which participated in the same series for AUD 4500 (approx Rs 2.43 lakh) and wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant’s helmet for AUD 5000 (approx Rs 2.70 lakh). In all, he spent AUD 15,500 (approx Rs 8.5 lakh).

“I’m extremely thrilled,” Chhabra, who is in the travel business, told mid-day shortly after landing in Sydney from his Fiji office on Thursday night. “Getting memorabilia signed on equipment that has been used is very rare,” he said, referring to the bat of Jaiswal, who shrugged off his first innings duck in the opening Test at Perth to score a match-winning 161 for India to go one-up in the series there.

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India’s Yashasvi Jaiswal celebrates his century vs Australia at Perth in November 2024

“Having the signed helmet that has been used [by Pant] is a big deal. Getting a bat signed by a team is special but getting a signed one from a champion team is very special.” Some members of India’s 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy team were in Rohit Sharma’s side that won last year’s T20 World Cup. 

Chhabra is also happy that the money he spent is going for a good cause — to help homeless people across Australia. “Australia does have a serious issue about homelessness and it’s getting worse as cost of living here gets higher and higher,” he said.

India’s Rishabh Pant (right) after being hit on the helmet by Mitchell Starc during the Sydney Test in 2021. Pics/Getty Images

Chhabra’s purchases were made through a secret auction (electronically conveyed bids) at the Sydney Cricket Ground, where he is a regular for matches.

He praised TCF’s Indian-born, Australia resident chairman, Darshak Mehta: “Darshak has been a great ambassador of TCF and he has spent a lot of time and effort over the years to build a lot of attention around the homeless issue. It gives me peace of mind that the money I have given is going for a good cause,” he said.

Meanwhile, according to Mehta,  the annual dinner helped raise AUD 435,000.  “Another prominent businessman, Harv Kler, donated AUD 15,000 and also bought a Dennis Lillee donated pictorial frame, The Fastest and the Best for nearly AUD 5000 (Rs 2.5 lakh). Yet another, Arjun Bhalla, bought a Phil Mickelson signed Masters Golf Flag for AUD 2050,” said Mehta.

“This will be distributed by TCF in grants to seven smaller charities who help ameliorate youth homelessness in Australia,” he said.

Apart from pace legend Lillee, the special guest, the function was also attended by former Australian Prime Minister John Howard, former Cricket Australia’s CEOs James Sutherland and Nick Hockley as well as the current CEO Todd Greenberg. There were 10 Australian Olympians in the room apart from cricketers like Greg Chappell, his younger brother Trevor, Simon Katich, Gavin Robertson, Stuart Clark and Geoff Lawson. Five hundred and fifty cricket buffs (A TCT Annual Dinner record) attended the glittering event despite wet weather in Sydney.  

Who does Chhabra support in India v Australia contests? “Dil hai Hindustani. I’m always torn between my motherland and birthplace when India or Australia win, but all I want is a great series and I got that [in 2024-25], said Chhabra whose prized possessions also include a Sir Don Bradman-signed bat and ex-Australia speed great Brett Lee’s cricket boots.

This article first appeared on Mid Day