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In a noble gesture, veteran leg spinner Anil Kumble donated his first India blazer towards the cause of a children's hospital extension project in Kolkata.
The blazer, which the 33-year-old bespectacled bowler wore when he received his national call-up in 1989, will be auctioned off along with the kits of leading Indian cricketers including skipper Sourav Ganguly and master batsman Sachin Tendulkar, on September 24 to raise Rs 50 lakh for constructing an additional block in the B C Roy Hospital for Children.
A cricket bat, signed by all current Test and one-day international players, will also come under the hammer.
Ganguly, the prime mover behind the auction for the Rs six crore project, had written personal letters to business barons and cricket personalities inviting them to the auction-cum-dinner.
The Indian skipper himself has donated an entire set of cricketing gear, including several bats he used during the February-March World Cup.
Others who have pitched in with cricket accessories include Rahul Dravid, Yuvraj Singh, Harbhajan Singh, West Bengal Minister for Municipal Affairs Ashok Bhatacharjee said on Sunday.
The function is being organised in keeping with Ganguly's birthday promise to raise the funds for adding another block to the B C Roy Hospital for Children.
The state government will also contribute towards the construction work and also ask the Centre for help.