Fans ask Dolly Chaiwala for selfies, ignore Indian hockey medalists at Paris Olympics | Hockey news

Photos: Agency/Video recording

The Indian men hockey team returned to the Olympic podium in 2021 after a 41-year wait and repeated the feat last month at the Paris Games. But some members of that team were embarrassed at an airport when fans completely ignored them and queued up for selfies with internet star Dolly chaiwala.
Indian midfielder Hardik Singh recalled the incident on a YouTube podcast, saying the moment embarrassed him and his teammates.
“I saw it with my own eyes, at the airport. Harmanpreet (Singh), me, Mandeep (Singh); there were five or six of us. Dolly Chaiwala was there too. People connected with him and recognized it We started looking at each other (we felt uncomfortable),” said the 26-year-old, the Indian team’s key playmaker.
India defeated Spain 2–1 in Paris and retained the bronze medal they won in Tokyo, adding to India’s glorious Olympic hockey history, which saw the team win eight gold medals between 1926 and 1980.
Dolly Chaiwala’s claim to fame is his unique style of tea making and the fact that he served tea to Bill Gates without knowing who he was. Gates posted that video to his Instagram account and Dolly became an even bigger internet star.

“Harmanpreet has scored more than 150 goals, Mandeep has more than 100 field goals,” Hardik said.
Indian captain Harmanpreet, a defender, scored most of his goals on penalty corners with his deadly drag flicks. Striker Mandeep is an exceptional athlete, whose off-the-ball running and ability to create space within the opponent’s striking circle make him a special talent.
Harmanpreet’s number of career goals has now risen above 200.
“For an athlete, fame and money are one thing. But when people look at you and appreciate you, there is no greater satisfaction than that for an athlete,” said Hardik, proud of his 142 caps so far.