Madagaon to cricket world: How a wrong SIM led to calls from Kohli and ABD

In a remote Chhattisgarh village, an ordinary day turned extraordinary when Manish Bisi, in his 20s, claimed he began receiving calls from cricket icons Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers soon after activating a SIM card. Other Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) players, including Yash Dayal, also reportedly called. Unaware of the whirlwind ahead, Manish, a resident of Madagaon in Gariaband district, passed the phone to his friend Khemraj Bisi, thinking the calls were pranks. By sheer coincidence, the SIM card had once belonged to RCB captain Rajat Patidar.

 

From shock to confusion

 

Khemraj, speaking to the media, said he took over the calls because Manish was "scared." The first was from Kohli, followed by one from Yash Dayal asking why Patidar’s number was being used. "I said it is not his number," Khemraj recalled. In a recent shift, Patidar had taken over the RCB captaincy, who led the team to its first Indian Premier League title in 18 years. Minutes later, Kohli called again to question the use of Patidar’s number and WhatsApp account. Half an hour after that, AB de Villiers was on the line — a conversation Khemraj admitted he barely understood due to the language barrier.

 

 

Police step in

 

The confusion peaked when the police arrived in the village within 10 minutes. "We learnt it was a VIP number," Khemraj said. The incident fell under the jurisdiction of the Devbhog police station. For Khemraj, however, the thrill outweighed the confusion. Declaring himself a "big RCB fan," he said, "I have kept Kohli sir’s photos in my shop and at home." 

 

A family’s delight

 

The moment was described with pride by Manish’s father, Gajendra, a farmer, who said it was a matter of great happiness that Virat Kohli had been spoken to by his son. It was explained by another villager, Tikendra Bisi, that Manish had been summoned to the police station. There, it was learned that the SIM card, registered in Rajat Patidar’s name, had been mistakenly allotted to Manish. When asked if the SIM should be returned, agreement was given.

 

How the mix-up happened

 

Deputy SP of Gariaband district, Nisha Sinha, pieced together the unusual sequence. Patidar had not used the SIM for 90 days, leading the service provider to deactivate it and reassign it to Manish Bisi. After consultation with the Indore cyber cell and with Manish’s consent, the number was returned to Patidar. As the cricketer had previously used the SIM, calls from teammates continued to come through. Sinha clarified, "There is no legal issue or fault on anyone’s part."