 "Players of the Indian hockey team were left embarrassed after fans preferred taking selfies with Dolly Chaiwala. Image: Reuters / PTI")
Some of the players of the India men’s hockey team were recently left dejected at an airport after fans ignored the hockey team players completely and instead preferred taking selfies with internet sensation Dolly Chaiwala. The India men’s hockey team had won bronze at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, thus ending a 41-year wait, and the Harmanpreet Singh-led outfit repeated that achievement at the 2024 Paris Olympics in August.
“I saw it with my own eyes, at the airport. Harmanpreet [Singh], I, Mandeep [Singh]; there were 5-6 of us. Dolly Chaiwala was also there. People were getting themselves clicked with him and did not recognise us. We started looking at each other (Feeling awkward)," midfielder Hardik Singh said on the SMTV YouTube podcast.
Dolly Chaiwala became an internet sensation for his unique way of making tea and even served tea to Bill Gates, unaware of who he was. Dolly became a bigger star on the internet after Bill Gates shared a video on his Instagram page.
India had defeated Spain 2-1 in the playoff to retain bronze at the 2024 Paris Olympics in August. Hardik Singh noted the remarkable career of Harmanpreet, saying: “Harmanpreet has scored more than 150 goals, Mandeep has more than 100 field goals."
“For an athlete, fame and money is one thing. But when people are watching you and appreciating you, there is no bigger satisfaction than that for an athlete," added the 26-year-old.
India retained the Asian Champions Trophy title with a 1-0 victory over China in the final earlier in September. Jugraj Singh scored the winning goal for India, who won their fifth title.