WATCH: Shubman Gill surprises father of ‘Jharkhand’s Chris Gayle’ and first tribal player in IPL by meeting him at Ranchi airport

Minz became the first player from the tribal community to get an IPL contract.

WATCH: Shubman Gill surprises father of ‘Jharkhand’s Chris Gayle’ and first tribal player in IPL by meeting him at Ranchi airport

Francis Minz, Shubman Gill, Robin Minz (Images via X, ESPNcricinfo)

Shubman Gill succeeded Hardik Pandya as the new captain of Gujarat Titans (GT) after the all-rounder’s departure to Mumbai Indians (MI). As Gill was leaving Ranchi following the conclusion of the fourth Test, he met Francis Minz, the father of GT’s recruit, Robin Minz.

Minz became the first player from the tribal community to get an IPL contract. His father, Francis, is a retired Army man. He now works as a security guard at the Birsa Munda Airport in Ranchi.

YouTube video

After meeting Francis, Gill took to Instagram to share the picture and lauded him for all his hard work. The video of the meeting has been doing rounds on social media as well.

Honored to meet Robin Minz's father. Your journey and hard work have been inspiring. Looking forward to seeing you in the IPL.
Gill wrote on Instagram Story

Watch the video here:

Robin Minz’s coach says the youngster is the next MS Dhoni

Robin Minz’s father, Francis Minz, once told The Quint that MS Dhoni once told him that he was sure a franchise would sign Robin. Captain Cool also assured his father that if no franchise bought the 21-year-old, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) would.

Robin Minz
Robin Minz with his family (Image via ESPNcricinfo)

During the auction for IPL 2024, CSK was the first team to bid for Robin when his name was announced by the auctioneer for his base price of Rs 20 lakh. But GT ended up purchasing him for Rs 3.6 crore.

Though locals call Minz, ‘Jharkhand’s Chris Gayle’, Robin’s coach, Chanchal Bhattacharya, told ESPNCricinfo that he thinks Robin and Dhoni are identical when it comes to hitting sixes. Bhattacharya said he was confident Minz would become a big player in the future like Dhoni.

He is a good player, of course, but what sets him apart is his nature. If I have admired a cricketer's nature, his conduct, after Dhoni, it is Robin. He is calm, he is polite, and he is eager to learn. If you talk to him about food, he talks a lot. His life is about cricket and food. If you take him out for a meal, Robin will order five different chicken dishes.
Chanchal Bhattacharya told ESPNcricinfo

GT will start their campaign in the 2024 IPL on March 24 against five-time champions Mumbai Indians.

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