Greg Chappell compliments MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli for their immense popularity in Australia

Cricket gear of both Kohli and Dhoni got sold at massive sum during an auction conducted by Chappell's foundation.

Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni | Getty

Former India head coach Greg Chappell acknowledged the legendary status of MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli on Wednesday (March 20) when their cricketing gear became the most favoured picks at an auction conducted by Chappell’s own charity foundation in Sydney. 

The gloves wore by Kohli during India’s last Test on the recent tour of Australia went for Aus $ 3400 (Rs 1,70,000), while Dhoni’s personally signed jersey got auctioned for Aus $ 1500 (Rs 75,000) at Noble Dining Room of the iconic Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG). The great duo had made a wonderful gesture of donating their special gear to Chappell in January this year. 

"It just goes to show you how respected Dhoni and Virat are," Chappell was quoted saying by Mumbai Mirror. "Even among Australians. Who could imagine that Indian stars could attract so much interest from Aussie corporates? They have won the hearts of international fans and their generosity is enormous. They demonstrate all that’s great about the game. We are so grateful."

The other special attraction of the night was a wine bottle signed by four ex-Australia Test captains in Bill Lawry, Ian Chappell, Mark Taylor and Greg himself. And unsurprisingly, the bottle was bid heavily by the audience before finally getting auctioned for $ 2000 (Rs 100,000).

The dinner was attended by over 400 people, including 30 members of the flourishing Indian community in Sydney. Legendary musician Jimmy Barnes was invited as the special guest speaker on the night. 

Darshak Mehta, the chairman of the Greg Chappell foundation, said, "The Chappell Foundation has achieved a fantastic result in raising over $ 200,000 (Rs 1crore). The funds will be used to ameliorate youth homelessness."

Various politicians, businessmen, sportsmen, cricketers and media stalwarts were also present at the marquee event. Besides them, Mark Taylor, Ian Chappell, Stuart McGill, Steve O’Keefe, Greg Matthews and Trevor Chappell lit up the evening with their presence. 

The auction was conducted by former Australian Defence Minister, John Faulkner and also had female cricketers Lisa Sthalekar, Alex Blackwell and Kate Blackwell amidst the large audience.  

 
 

By Kashish Chadha - 22 Mar, 2019

    Share Via