A SIM card mix-up in a Chhattisgarh village turned into a surreal brush with cricket stardom for 23-year-old Manish Bisi of Madagaon, Gariaband district. On June 28, Manish bought a new Jio SIM from a shop in Deobhog, unaware it had once belonged to RCB’s Rajat Patidar.
When he and his friend Khemraj set up WhatsApp, they saw Patidar’s profile photo but assumed it was a glitch. Then came calls from names that seemed too big to be real — Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, Yash Dayal. At first, they thought it was a prank by friends. They even played along.
That changed on July 15 when Patidar himself called, pleading, “Brother, please return my SIM,” and warning that police could get involved. Minutes later, officers arrived, confirming the calls were genuine.
Police later explained the number was reassigned after 90 days of inactivity, in line with telecom policy. The SIM was returned to Patidar without dispute.
For the villagers, it was an unforgettable twist of fate. “I never imagined speaking to Kohli from our village,” Khemraj said. “When de Villiers called, he spoke in English — we didn’t understand a word, but we were thrilled.”
Manish’s brother Deshbandhu summed it up: “Even if it was just luck, we spoke to people others only dream of meeting.”