Chhattisgarh villager’s ‘khulja SIM SIM’ tryst begets calls from legends like Kohli, de Villiers

A person in nondescript Madagaon village in Chhattisgarh’s Gariaband district is on seventh heaven after receiving calls from cricket legends Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers, all due to a SIM card as soon as utilized by India cricketer Rajat Patidar coming alive a while after it was reactivated by the service supplier.

Twenty-something Manish Bisi, and his good friend Khemraj, at first thought these have been prank calls, due to the sheer improbability of the chain of occasions, however actuality dawned when Patidar himself was on the different finish.

The tryst with instantaneous fame started on June 28 when Manish, son of farmer Gajendra Bisi, bought a brand new Jio SIM from a cell store in Deobhog, round 8 kilometres from his village.

When Khemraj helped arrange WhatsApp on the brand new SIM, the show image was of Patidar, a rising star who captained Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) crew within the IPL 2025 season.

Whereas the duo initially dismissed it as a glitch, they have been quickly shocked by calls from Kohli, de Villiers and Yash Dayal, although the 2 veered in the direction of being sensible by believing these have been all a part of some elaborate prank being performed by pals.

Actually, the duo even performed alongside, Khemraj claimed.

The story turned on its head when, on July 15, Patidar himself known as up with a fervent “brother, please return my SIM”. Manish and Khemraj nonetheless believed it was a prank earlier than realising the seriousness in Patidar’s tone when he spoke about sending police to unravel the matter.

A police crew arrived some minutes later, placing a lid on any assumptions that it was a prank.

Gariaband Deputy Superintendent of Police Neha Sinha mentioned the SIM had been deactivated as per telecom coverage after 90 days of inactivity and was reassigned to a brand new buyer, which on this case occurred to be Manish.

“Manish was truly getting calls from cricketers who have been in touch with Rajat Patidar. Patidar knowledgeable the Madhya Pradesh Cyber Cell that his quantity had been allotted to another person and requested to have it again,” she mentioned.

The MP Cyber Cell contacted Gariaband police, who spoke with Manish and his household and with their consent, the SIM was just lately returned to Patidar, the Deputy SP knowledgeable.

“There was no authorized subject or fault on anybody’s half. This was merely a results of normal telecom procedures,” Sinha added.

For Manish, Khemraj, and their households, in the meantime, the expertise has been like “one thing out of a movie”.

Khemraj, an ardent Kohli fan, excitedly mentioned, “I by no means imagined I’d converse to Virat Kohli sooner or later, and that too from our village. When AB de Villiers known as, he spoke in English. We could not perceive a phrase, however we have been so thrilled.” “When Manish used to get calls, he would hand over the cellphone to me. The callers who recognized themselves as Virat Kohli and Yash Dayal requested us why we have been utilizing Patidar’s quantity. We defined to them we had purchased a brand new SIM and that is our quantity,” Khemraj added.

The villagers are overjoyed as a result of most individuals listed here are RCB followers and speaking to legends like Kohli and de Villiers is one thing that can’t be described and even now looks like a dream, mentioned Manish’s brother Deshbandhu Bisi.

“Even when it was all attributable to a mix-up, these conversations occurred out of sheer luck. Individuals simply dream of seeing them, we received to talk to them,” Deshbandhu gushed.