Greig buys Harbhajan's hat-trick ball in auction

The one-day break in the Challenger Series was well-spent by the Indian cricketers, who participated in an auction for charity in Bangalore. Among the items sold off was the ball with which Harbhajan Singh achieved a hat-trick against Australia at Kolkata in 2000-01. The buyer was Tony Greig, who paid Rs 55,000 (US$1170 approx) for it. Harbhajan was happy to contribute his bit to the charity: "Since it's going for charity, I don't mind parting with it. I got a hat-trick because of people's blessings. With their blessings, I can get more hat-tricks."

According to the Press Trust of India (PTI), the proceeds from the auction and a fund-raising dinner, which was organised by the cricketers and Deccan Herald, an English daily based in Bangalore, went to a group of non-governmental organisations (NGOs). The item that fetched the highest amount was Sachin Tendulkar's bat, which was sold for Rs 300,000 (US$6385 approx), while his gloves went to the son of Mark Mascarenhas, former WorldTel chief who was killed in a road accident last year, for Rs 55,000. Sourav Ganguly picked up the blazer used by Anil Kumble in India's tour to Sri Lanka in 1993, for Rs 25,000 (US$530 approx).

Participating in the auction wasn't the only charity work which brought Greig to Bangalore - he will also play in Sunday's McDowell's Signature Celebrity Golf Tournament, the proceeds of which will go to CHAMPS, a foundation started by Sunil Gavaskar which seeks to provide financial assistance to sportspersons of yesteryear.

Speaking to the Times of India, Greig observed that cricketers had much to learn from golf. "Cricketers would do themselves a world of good if they took to golf. The game inculcates a sense of discipline which some modern-day cricketers unfortunately lack. The other area where cricketers would benefit by taking to golf is the mind-game aspect. Golf is a thinking game and so is cricket."

Greig was also extremely supportive of the CHAMPS Foundation and the idea of organising a golf tournament to raise funds. "I think it's a great idea to lend a helping hand to those who have done the country proud but are currently in the rut for one reason or another.

"In Australia, the biggest generator of dollars for contributing to charities is golf. Mark Taylor collected a whopping quarter of a million for his charity. There is no reason why Sunny Gavaskar's CHAMPS Foundation should not benefit immensely from this tournament."