Sir Donald Bradman's historic baggy green returns to Australia for auction after 75 years in Mumbai

A legendary piece of Sir Donald Bradman memorabilia is back in Sydney and about to change owners for the first time in more than seven decades.

The iconic baggy green, worn by Bradman during his last Test on home soil when he scored his 100th first-class century, is set to go under the hammer in what cricket experts are calling “the holy grail” of cricket memorabilia.

WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Don Bradman’s baggy green returns to Australia.

The historic cap was gifted to Indian bowler Sriranga Sohoni during India’s first Test since independence, when the young upstart faced off against the legend and failed to get him out.

In a moment of true sportsmanship, Bradman put his arm around the young Indian bowler and placed the baggy green on his head, knowing it was important that India weren’t too discouraged.

Sohoni’s family safeguarded the Test cap at their home west of Mumbai for three generations, keeping it behind a glass cabinet with strict rules — family members weren’t able to look at it until they were 16 years old.

Now ready to share with the world, the baggy green has already attracted a flurry of interest from collectors and cricket enthusiasts.

“The bidding started at just $1, so you can imagine the call started and never stopped,” Lloyds Auctions Lee Hames said.

The high bid is currently $445,000 (as of Saturday) with still nine days left in the auction.

This is one of just 11 of Sir Donald Bradman’s baggy greens known to exist.

Its rarity, coupled with the passage of time, means even at a million dollars this could be a good investment, with experts expecting it to appreciate in value over the years.

The Test cap will be on show in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane before its Australia Day auction.

Sir Donald Bradman retired from Test cricket in 1948 with a career batting average of 99.94 – a record widely regarded as one of the greatest statistical achievements in world sport.

Sir Donald Bradman’s first Baggy Green Australian cap from his 1928 debut season was sold for $450,000 in 2020, according to Cricket Australia.

The record price for a baggy green belongs to Shane Warne.

The leg spinner’s cap was sold, in aid of emergency services responding to the 2019-20 bushfires, to the Commonwealth Bank for $1,007,500 — but Warne only wore the one cap.

- With AAP