Francis Xavier Minz, a security guard at the exit point of the arrival hall at the Birsa Munda International Airport in Ranchi, closely monitored Team India’s arrival ahead of the fourth Test against England, starting Friday, February 23rd. As the Indian cricketers passed by him after landing in their private jet, Francis hoped, someday, his son Robin would be part of the chivalry. For the unversed, his son Robin recently became a multi-millionaire after Gujarat Titans splashed out Rs 3.60 crore to acquire his services for the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) season.
“I see everyone coming out of the airport, but hardly anyone notices me. Why should they? I’m just a security guy here, one of the many,” Francis told the Indian Express in Ranchi.
Despite his son bagging a big IPL contract, Francis emphasised that there’s still a long way to go, as far as an India call-up in concerned. Notably, Robin is the first tribal cricketer to bag an IPL contract.
“He has just started. The world has just about registered his name. Raasta abhi bhi lamba hain (the route to the Indian team is still a long way away),” he added.
Speaking on the nature of his job, Francis quipped: “This is my job, to ensure that no one who has left the airport re-enters without an ID. You never know who has a gun in his hand. One lapse and I would lose my job.”
Francis, who served in the army for nearly two decades, has no intentions of quitting his job, despite the financial benefits of son’s IPL contract.
“I cannot be lax because my son is an IPL cricketer. Of course, there is more financial security in the family, but you never know how life would turn out to be. A lot of my colleagues ask me why I need to work anymore. But I tell them I will keep working as long as I feel like working and I am healthy. I don’t get sleep if I haven’t earned something for myself,” he further revealed.
Francis added that they still live in the same house, adding that there hasn’t been any subsequent change in Robin’s lifestyle either.
“We still live in the same house. I still drive the same bike. It’s a decent house, so we have not even thought of moving or buying a bigger one. Fortunately, Robin too has remained the same. He knows he has to keep working hard, and cannot be carried away. He is still the same old boy of ours,” Francis added.
Francis also shed light on former India captain MS Dhoni‘s role in his son’s cricketing journey.
Just a few days after the IPL auction, Francis had revealed that Dhoni promised him that CSK would pick Robin if no one bids for him at the table.
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