A very weird and heart-warming story has emerged from a small village in Chhattisgarh, creating an unforgettable reminiscence for 2 younger cricket followers and offering a singular glimpse into the interconnected, but typically chaotic, world of contemporary telecommunications. A easy SIM card mix-up involving Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) captain Rajat Patidar led to a surreal chain of occasions, with a few followers discovering themselves on the telephone with none apart from cricketing legends Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers.
The unbelievable story of a recycled SIM card and reference to Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers and Rajat Patidar
The inconceivable story started on June 28 when a younger man named Manish from Chhattisgarh’s Gariaband district bought a brand new Jio SIM card from an area store. As is normal observe, the quantity, which had been inactive for 90 days, was recycled and reassigned to a brand new buyer. Unbeknownst to Manish, the quantity had beforehand belonged to RCB captain Patidar. The combination-up turned obvious when Manish‘s buddy, Khemraj, helped him arrange WhatsApp, and Patidar’s photograph appeared on the brand new profile.
What adopted was a sequence of telephone calls that appeared nearly too unimaginable to be true. As cricketers tried to achieve Patidar, Manish and Khemraj discovered themselves fielding calls from the likes of Kohli and De Villiers. Initially pondering it was a prank, the 2 mates comically launched themselves as “MS Dhoni,” they usually had been thrilled after they realized it was certainly their heroes on the opposite finish of the road, even when they couldn’t perceive De Villiers’ English.
The matter was ultimately resolved when Patidar himself referred to as on July 15 and, after explaining the significance of his skilled contacts tied to the quantity, sought help from the Madhya Pradesh Cyber Cell. Police officers confirmed that there was “no authorized concern or fault on anybody’s half,” and with the complete consent of Manish and his household, the SIM card was returned to its rightful proprietor.
“The Devbhog police got here to us and requested for the SIM card again, saying it belonged to a VIP. We returned it to them. Sooner or later, a name was obtained from one other quantity. The caller recognized himself as Rajat Patidar. We took this name as a joke, identical to we had finished with the sooner ones. Rajat saved requesting SIM again, however we continued to make enjoyable of him. Then he mentioned, ‘I’ll ship the police,’ and about 10 minutes later, the police arrived,” Khemraj was quoted as saying by The Occasions of India.
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A dream fulfilled and a triumphant IPL 2025 season for RCB skipper
For the 2 followers on the coronary heart of this story, the transient and unintentional contact with their idols was a dream come true. Khemraj, a loyal fan of Kohli, was notably ecstatic.
“Speaking to legends like Kohli and de Villiers is one thing we will’t describe. Even when it occurred due to a mix-up, we had been fortunate. Individuals simply dream of seeing them, however we bought to talk to them,” Manish’s brother, Deshbandhu Bisi was quoted as saying by the Hindustan Occasions. The emotional response from the group additional highlighted the importance of the occasion, with Manish’s brother stating that the villagers, lots of whom are fervent RCB followers, had been overjoyed by the sheer luck of the scenario.
This episode of serendipity comes on the heels of a career-defining season for the person at its middle, Rajat Patidar. Within the IPL 2025 season, Patidar not solely took over the captaincy of Royal Challengers Bengaluru but additionally led them to their inaugural IPL title. In a landmark season, the 32-year-old completed with a commendable 312 runs in 15 matches, all whereas efficiently breaking the franchise’s long-standing jinx and cementing his place within the workforce’s historical past. The incident serves as an ideal bookend to his triumphant season, mixing the surreal pleasure of a fan with the last word skilled success of a participant.
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