The fans from Chhattisgarh, Khemraj and Manish, who owned Rajat Patidar’s mobile number for a few days, said that they were over the moon having gotten to talk to several RCB stars, including Virat Kohli himself, AB de Villiers, and Yash Dayal.

Millions of people nationwide are eagerly awaiting the chance to talk to Virat Kohli. In Madagaon village in the Gariaband area of Chhattisgarh, a man's desire came true. At first, Manish Bisi and his friend Khemraj believed they had been the victims of a practical joke. But sooner rather than later, reality set in.

All of this occurred after Rajat Patidar, the captain of the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), had his SIM card renewed by the service provider.

On June 28, Manish Bisi bought a new Jio SIM card from a Deobhog mobile store. Rajat Patidar's picture appeared on the screen as soon as WhatsApp was configured with the new SIM.

At first, Manish and Khemraj wrote off the proceedings as a technicality. But as soon as the two began getting calls from AB de Villiers, Yash Dayal, and Virat Kohli, the space for any jokes vanished.

As the former South Africa captain spoke in English, Khemraj, a huge follower of Kohli, told news agency PTI that he was thrilled to hear AB de Villiers' voice, even if he could not comprehend a word he said.

"I never imagined I would speak to Virat Kohli one day, and that too from our village. When AB de Villiers called, he spoke in English. We couldn't understand a word, but we were so thrilled. When Manish used to get calls, he would hand over the phone to me. The callers who identified themselves as Virat Kohli and Yash Dayal asked us why we were using Patidar's number. We explained to them we had bought a new SIM, and this is our number," Khemraj told PTI.

Rajat Patidar also called the aforementioned people on July 15 and requested that they return his SIM card. Manish and Khemraj thought the RCB captain's call was a prank. But when Patidar threatened to deploy the police to settle the issue, they quickly realized how serious it was.

Neha Sinha, the deputy superintendent of police in Gariaband, then explained that the SIM was transferred to Manish, a new client, after being deactivated after ninety days in accordance with telecom policy.

"Manish was actually getting calls from cricketers who were in contact with Rajat Patidar. Patidar informed the Madhya Pradesh Cyber Cell that his number had been allotted to someone else and requested to have it back," she was quoted as saying by PTI.

Manish and Khemraj aren't complaining about the SIM card drama, even though it may be too unbelievable. They finally got to talk to Virat Kohli, something they had always wanted to do.

“Even if it was all due to a mix-up, these conversations happened out of sheer luck. People just dream of seeing them; we got to speak to them,” Manish's brother Deshbandhu Bisi said.