At a Gold Coast auction, an unidentified buyer paid AU$460,000 (US$320,000) for the loose green headgear that Sir Donald Bradman wore during India’s first series as an independent country.
Before giving it to their opening bowler, Ranga Sohoni, Bradman wore the headgear during his last home series against India in 1947–48. Since then, Sohoni’s family has kept it in their possession without ever showing it to the public.
Lee Hames, the chief operating officer of Lloyds Auctions in Queensland, described it as a “holy grail of cricket” when he sold it on Monday.
“It has been hidden for 75 years, that’s over three generations under lock and key,” he stated. “If you were a family member you were only allowed to look at it when you were 16 years old for five minutes.”
Sohoni bowled their opening ball of the match, and thus the first of the post-colonial era, despite playing only the first Test of India’s 4-0 series loss and failing to take a wicket in their innings loss.
“1947-48” is embroidered underneath the Australia crest, and the names “D.G. Bradman” and “S.W. Sohoni” are etched on the inside of the cap.
There are eleven known Bradman baggy greens from a time when players wore different caps for each series.
In 2020, Bradman’s first cap from his 1928 debut sold for Aus$450,000. The record for such an object is held by Shane Warne’s baggy green, which in 2020 raised Aus$1,007,500 for the Australian Red Cross bushfire campaign.
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