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.