In a bizarre turn of events, a 21-year-old youth from Chhattisgarh, Manish Bisi, became an accidental point of contact for Indian cricket stars, including Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers, after being assigned the old SIM card of Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) captain Rajat Patidar. The incident, which occurred in late June, highlights the routine practice of telecom companies reassigning inactive numbers.

Manish, a resident of Madagaon village in the Gariaband district, purchased the new SIM card from a mobile shop in Devbhog. He was unaware that the number had previously belonged to Rajat Patidar, who recently led RCB to their first Indian Premier League title. Shortly after activating the SIM, Manish and his friend Khemraj noticed Patidar's photo as the WhatsApp profile picture. Initially, they dismissed it as a technical glitch.

However, the situation took an unexpected turn when Manish started receiving calls from individuals claiming to be Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, and other RCB players like Yash Dayal. The callers were trying to reach Patidar. Thinking it was a prank, Manish and Khemraj played along, engaging in light-hearted conversations with the callers for about two weeks. Khemraj even described the experience as a "dream realized," thrilled to have had the chance to converse with Kohli.

Meanwhile, Patidar realized he could no longer access his WhatsApp account and filed a complaint with the Madhya Pradesh Cyber Cell. The investigation traced the number back to Manish, revealing that it had been reassigned under the telecom company's reallocation policy. According to Gariaband SP Nikhil Rakhecha, numbers inactive for over six months are reassigned to new customers as per company policy.

The matter escalated when Patidar himself contacted Manish to request the return of his old number, explaining its importance for communicating with coaches, teammates, and personal contacts. However, the youths were skeptical and responded humorously, "And we're MS Dhoni," doubting the authenticity of the call. Faced with disbelief, Patidar reportedly warned that he would involve the police. Within ten minutes, local police arrived at Manish's home to mediate the situation.

Realizing the seriousness of the matter, Manish and Khemraj returned the SIM card. The police then reallocated the number to Patidar. Reflecting on the incident, Rakhecha stated, "It was a WhatsApp number and had probably not been in use for the last six months. As per company rules, a number that remains unused for over six months is allotted to other customers, which might have led to the allotment to the Devbhog youth. We have now returned the number to cricketer Rajat Patidar". The incident serves as a reminder of how technology can lead to unexpected encounters and humorous situations.