India's The Foundation, founded by actor and ex-rugby international player Rahul Bose, held a stunning auction on Friday, October 29, with exciting sports memorabilia donated by stars from the country and beyond.
The sale's proceeds will go towards providing education to children and providing counsel to the victims of sexual abuse.
Tennis fans will have been excited to see some of the pieces on offer, which included racquets from Maria Sharapova and India's no 1 Sania Mirza, as well as mix-doubles legend Leander Paes's 12th Grand Slam winning racquet and Roger Federer's playing shoes.
Paes was there in person, not just to see how his own donation fared but to cast his eye over the other lots - he already owns one of Sachin Tendulkar's bats.
Indeed the main focus, as it often is in India, was on cricket. Prolific leg-spinner Anil Kumble - the third greatest test wicket-taker of all time behind Shane Warne and Muttiah Muralitharan with 619 scalps to his name - put up two items:
These were the Test cap that he wore between 2004 and 2006 and a jersey worn for a rather special match. The match in question was one in which he equaled Jim Laker's feat of taking all 10 of the opposition's wickets in an innings himself, something that not even Warne or Muralitharan can claim.
Both items sold for Rs 11.5 lakh ($25,634). Autograph hunters will have been most excited by a bat, donated by former Indian captain Sunil Gavasker, which was signed by the whole of the country's winning World Cup team of 1983. This finally sold for Rs 17.5 lakh ($39,000).
Two items tied for runner-up spot in the sale. The highest-performing non-cricket item was the rifle used by India's only individual Olympic gold medal-winner, shooting star Abhinav Bindra, at the Beijing games two years ago.
Also on offer was one of multiple-record holding batsman Rahul Dravid's bats with which he had scored a century in each innings in the 2005 Kolkata Test against Pakistan. Both items scored Rs 20 lakh ($44,580) each.
Top lot status however went to a bat donated by Dravid's colleague, the legendary Sachin Tendulkar, with which he scored 163 not out against New Zealand at Christchurch last year - a remarkable score for a one-day match.
In turn it scored an impressive Rs 42 lakh ($93,619), a reminder of the continuing strength of the Indian collectibles market in recent times.
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