In a story straight out of a Bollywood script, a young farmer’s son from a tiny village in Chhattisgarh found himself in an unforgettable cricket fantasy. All thanks to a reactivated SIM card.
Meet 21-year-old Manish Bisi from Madagaon village. His ordinary life took an extraordinary turn when he bought a new SIM card in late June. Little did he know, this number once belonged to none other than Rajat Patidar, Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s captain and IPL star.
The first hint of something unusual came when Manish and his friend Khemraj noticed Patidar’s profile photo pop up on WhatsApp. They laughed it off, assuming it was just a tech hiccup. But then, cricketing royalty started calling.
Imagine their shock when voices claiming to be Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, and Yash Dayal came through the phone. At first, they thought it was a prank. Who wouldn’t? But the calls kept coming.
The turning point arrived on July 15 when Patidar himself called, politely asking for his number back. Still doubtful, the two friends hesitated—until the police showed up minutes later. Turns out, the number had been reassigned to Manish after sitting inactive for 90 days, per standard telecom rules.
Patidar, stranded without access to his WhatsApp and crucial team communications, had sought help from the Madhya Pradesh Cyber Cell. Their investigation led straight to Gariaband.
With no legal fuss, Manish’s family agreed to return the SIM. But the experience left them starstruck. Khemraj, a die-hard Kohli fan, couldn’t believe he’d spoken to his idol. And when AB de Villiers called? Pure magic, even if they barely understood his English.
“It felt like a dream,” said Manish’s brother Deshbandhu. In a village filled with RCB supporters, chatting with cricket legends was the stuff of wild fantasies.
Though brief, this unexpected encounter has become the stuff of local legend. A simple SIM card turned into a golden ticket, connecting a remote village to the glitzy world of Indian cricket.