How a 21-year-old ended up getting calls from Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers; here’s what happened

A strange mix-up led to Royal Challengers Bengaluru skipper Rajat Patidar’s old mobile number landing in the hands of a 21-year-old from Chhattisgarh, sparking calls from some of cricket’s biggest names, as reported by TOI.

Manish Bisi, from Madagaon village in Gariaband district, bought a new SIM from a Devbhog mobile shop in late June. A week later, while setting up WhatsApp with a friend’s help, Patidar’s photo appeared as the profile picture. “We initially thought it was a glitch,” Manish told TOI.

Soon after, calls began pouring in from numbers claiming to be Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, Yash Dayal, and others — all addressing him as “Rajat.” Thinking it was a prank, Manish and his friends kept the conversations going for nearly two weeks.


Gariaband SP Nikhil Rakhecha explained that the number had probably been inactive for six months before being reissued under telecom rules. “We have now returned the number to cricketer Rajat Patidar,” he told TOI.

The matter came to light when Patidar, unable to access his old number, reached out to the Madhya Pradesh Cyber Cell. They alerted Gariaband police, who traced Manish, recovered the SIM, and sent it back to the cricketer.

A die-hard Virat Kohli supporter, Manish called the experience unforgettable: “I hope to meet Patidar someday.”

[With TOI inputs]