SYDNEY: A rare Baggy Green cap worn by the legendary Sir Donald Bradman during a 1947/48 series against India is set to go under the hammer next month.
Bradman gifted the cap to Indian all-rounder Sriranga Wasudev Sohoni during the series, which marked India's first international cricket tour as an independent nation.
Unlike most surviving Baggy Green caps from Bradman's era, many of which are preserved in museums or closely held private collections, this cap has never been publicly displayed or offered for sale. It has remained in uninterrupted family ownership for more than 75 years, according to the Australian Associated Press (AAP).
"This is a genuine piece of cricket history that Sir Donald Bradman personally gifted," Lloyds Auctions Lee Hames said. "Its uninterrupted family ownership for 75 years and its direct link to 'The Don' make it one of the most important Bradman-related pieces to come to auction."
The Test cricketers of Bradman's era wore a different cap for each series.
The cap will be offered at a public auction, drawing international interest from private collectors, museums, institutions and fans.
Widely regarded as the greatest batter the game has known, Bradman amassed 715 runs in six innings at an astonishing average of 178.75 during the 1947/48 Test series, which Australia won 4-0. His tally included three centuries and a double hundred.
Bradman, who died aged 92 in 2001, averaged an astounding 99.94 runs per Test innings.
The bidding for his cap at Lloyds Auctions will open at one Australian dollar. The process will be closed on January 26.
It's not the first of Bradman's caps to be sold as a baggy green from the same India series fetched a staggering Rs 2.63 crore last year.