India’s legendary cricketer, MS Dhoni marked his presence felt at the FIH Women’s Hockey Olympic qualifiers’ semi-final match between India and Germany on Thursday. The CSK captain was seen cheering for team India in the crucial encounter at Marang Gomke Jaipal Singh Munda Astro Turf Hockey Stadium in Ranchi.
Many pictures of MS Dhoni at the stadium have gone viral on the internet. The semi-final between India and Germany turned out to be a thriller but, unfortunately, Germany secured the Paris Olympic quota.
Both teams played their hearts out and the game was tied at 2-2 at full-time. It was followed by a penalty shootout and a subsequent sudden death. India had initially taken a 2-1 lead in the penalty shootout but, unfortunately, missed out on opportunities to seal the game.
Germany Beat India At FIH Olympic Qualifiers Semifinal
Germans came back to equalize and then took a 3-2 lead. Lalremsiami netted one to level the scores 3-3. The game went to sudden death and the no-look shot from Lisa Nolte helped Germany beat India and, thereby, bag the Paris Olympic quota.
The fans were disappointed and hurt after India failed to bag the Olympic quota. India, however, still has a chance to bag a quota. In the third-place match, the Indian team will take on Japan and the winner will secure a spot in the Paris 2024 Olympics.
MS Dhoni to stage his comeback in IPL 2024
Meanwhile, MS Dhoni is preparing well to, once again, lead his team Chennai Super Kings in the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League. In June last year, he underwent a successful knee surgery and it was followed by an extensive rehabilitation process.
Dhoni had played the entire last season with heavy strapping on his left knee and didn’t look comfortable while running between the wickets. The fans would be hoping that he remains fully fit in what could be his final IPL season.
He led his team to their fifth IPL title after beating Gujarat Titans in the final last year. CSK were nothing short of outstanding during the tournament. They finished in the second spot in the points table after the league stage matches.
Ahead of the next season, they secured the services of Daryl Mitchell (14 crores), Rachin Ravindra (1.8 crores) and Shardul Thakur (4 crores), to name a few to bolster the squad.
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