Soon after, the two started getting calls from individuals posing as spinner Yash Dayal, former RCB star AB de Villiers, and Indian cricket veteran Virat Kohli. Manish and Khemraj initially wrote off the exchanges as their pals’ complex practical jokes. Although the incidents left them incredulous, Khemraj later said that they even played along.
After buying a SIM card from a nearby mobile phone store, Manish Bisi, a young guy from Madagaon village in the Gariaband region of Chhattisgarh, found himself in a real-life story straight out of a movie. It was revealed that Rajat Patidar, the captain of the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), had previously owned the SIM card.
The SIM was purchased on June 28 by Manish, the son of farmer Gajendra Bisi, at a mobile shop in Deobhog, which is roughly eight km away from his hamlet. When Manish and his friend Khemraj saw Patidar’s profile image on WhatsApp after installing the app, they initially assumed it was a bug. However, when voices on the other end of the queue confirmed it was real, things swiftly took a bizarre turn.
“Brother, please return my SIM,” Patidar himself said over the phone on July 15. But when Patidar himself called and spoke in a tone that was blatantly warning, their humour vanished. Officers showed up minutes after he said he would send the cops.
Gariaband Neha Sinha, the Deputy Superintendent of Police, then explained that the SIM was resold since it had been deactivated in accordance with telecom policy following ninety days of inactivity. She also told Manish and his family about the issue, and the SIM was recently brought back to Patidar with their permission.
In reality, cricket players who were in communication with Rajat Patidar were calling Manish. Patidar asked to get his number returned after letting the Madhya Pradesh Cyber Cell know that it had been assigned to someone else. No one was at fault, and there was no legal problem. Neha, who was cited by NDTV Sports, stated that this was only the outcome of routine telecom processes.
The entire event has been a cinematic experience for Manish, Khemraj, and their families.
AB de Villiers used English when he called. We were ecstatic even though we couldn’t comprehend a word. Manish used to give me the phone when he received calls. We were asked why we were using Patidar’s number by the callers, who claimed to be Yash Dayal and Virat Kohli. We informed them that this was our number and that we had purchased a new SIM card,” Khemraj stated.
“I never thought I’d get to talk to Virat Kohli from our village one day.
According to Deshbandhu Bisi, Manish’s brother, the whole community was ecstatic. He also acknowledged that the majority of individuals in this place are RCB supporters and that it is impossible to adequately express the experience of conversing with such legends.
“These discussions happened by pure chance, even if it was all the result of a mix-up. We got to talk to them; people only dream of seeing them,” Deshbandhu remarked.
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