'Virat Kohli asked me why I was using Patidar's SIM number' - Chhattisgarh villager on phone number mix-up
"I never imagined I would speak to Virat Kohli one day, and that too from our village. When AB de Villiers called, he spoke in English," said Khemraj.
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Manish Bisi, a young man from Madagaon village in Chhattisgarh’s Gariaband district, found himself in a real-life drama straight out of a film after purchasing a SIM card from a local mobile phone shop. The SIM card, as it turned out, previously belonged to Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) captain Rajat Patidar.
Manish, the son of farmer Gajendra Bisi, bought the SIM on June 28 from a mobile shop in Deobhog, about eight kilometres from his village. Initially, Manish and his friend Khemraj thought it was a glitch when they noticed Patidar’s profile picture appearing on WhatsApp after installing the app. But the situation quickly took a surreal turn when voices on the other end of the line confirmed it was real.
Soon, the pair began receiving calls from people who introduced themselves as Indian cricket veteran Virat Kohli, former RCB star AB de Villiers, and bowler Yash Dayal. At first, Manish and Khemraj dismissed the interactions as elaborate pranks by their friends. In fact, they even played along, Khemraj later claimed, though the events left them in disbelief.
RCB captain’s former phone number sparks police visit
Later, on July 15, Patidar himself called up and asked, ‘brother, please return my SIM’. However, their lightheartedness faded when Patidar himself called, speaking in a tone that carried a clear warning. He mentioned sending the police, and minutes later, officers arrived.
Gariaband Deputy Superintendent of Police Neha Sinha later clarified that the SIM had been deactivated under telecom policy after 90 days of inactivity, which led to its resale. She also informed Manish and his family about the situation and, with their consent, the SIM was recently returned to Patidar.
"Manish was actually getting calls from cricketers who were in contact with Rajat Patidar. Patidar informed the Madhya Pradesh Cyber Cell that his number had been allotted to someone else and requested to have it back. There was no legal issue or fault on anyone's part. This was simply a result of standard telecom procedures," Neha said as quoted by NDTV Sports.
For Manish, Khemraj, and their families, the entire episode has been nothing short of a cinematic experience.
"I never imagined I would speak to Virat Kohli one day, and that too from our village. When AB de Villiers called, he spoke in English. We couldn't understand a word, but we were so thrilled. When Manish used to get calls, he would hand over the phone to me. The callers who identified themselves as Virat Kohli and Yash Dayal asked us why we were using Patidar's number. We explained to them we had bought a new SIM and this is our number," Khemraj said.
Manish’s brother, Deshbandhu Bisi, said the entire village was overjoyed. He also admitted that most people here are RCB fans, and talking to legends like them is something that cannot be described.
"Even if it was all due to a mix-up, these conversations happened out of sheer luck. People just dream of seeing them, we got to speak to them," Deshbandhu said.