Jaiswal’s willow, Pant’s helmet for Chappell Foundation auction

Three Indian items feature in a silent auction being conducted by The Chappell Foundation (TCF), which aids homeless people Down Under.

Winning bids from a silent auction (electronically conveyed bids) for a bat signed by the 2024-25 touring Indian team, opening batsman Yashasvi Jaiswal’s willow and India stumper Rishabh Pant’s 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy helmet, will be announced at the TCF’s annual dinner in Sydney on Wednesday.

In the Annual Dinner Program, TCF praised Jaiswal by saying, “Yashasvi Jaiswal debuted with a century against the West Indies. In his first Border-Gavaskar Trophy series in 2024-25, he dominated with 161 in Perth, hit two Melbourne half-centuries and led India’s aggregates with 391 runs at 43.44. We’ll see much more of the young superstar who has donated us his signed bat.”

About Pant, who played such a big role in India winning the epic Brisbane Test of the 2020-21 series, the program said, “What a joy to see Rishabh playing Tests here again. Recall the Sydney innings: Grill crashed by a Starc thunderbolt as he fought bravely for 40 in the first and, in the second, an astonishing 61 runs [48 in boundaries] from 33 balls. A signed artefact of valor and flair!”

The special guest of the evening is fast bowling legend Dennis Lillee, who will fly down from Perth. According to TCF chairman Darshak Mehta, around 550 people will attend the annual dinner to be held at the Sydney Cricket Ground’s Noble Dining Room.