A bizarre mix-up saw Royal Challengers Bengaluru captain Rajat Patidar’s old mobile number end up with a 21-year-old in Chhattisgarh and soon bring him calls from some of cricket’s biggest names, as reported by TOI. Manish Bisi, a resident of Madagaon village in Gariaband district, purchased a new SIM from a Devbhog mobile shop in late June. A week later, while setting up WhatsApp with the help of a friend, the profile picture automatically displayed Patidar’s image. “We initially thought it was a glitch,” Manish told TOI. Within days, calls started coming in from numbers claiming to be Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, Yash Dayal, and others, with all of them addressing him as “Rajat.” Believing it to be a prank, Manish and his friends chatted with the callers for nearly two weeks. According to Gariaband SP Nikhil Rakhecha, the number had likely been inactive for six months and was re-allotted as per telecom rules. “We have now returned the number to cricketer Rajat Patidar,” he told TOI. The confusion came to light when Patidar, unable to access his old number, approached the Madhya Pradesh Cyber Cell. They contacted Gariaband police, who visited Manish’s village and recovered the SIM before sending it back to the cricketer. Manish, a self-confessed Virat Kohli fan, described the incident as unforgettable. “I hope to meet Patidar someday,” he said.
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Patidar, who represents Madhya Pradesh in domestic cricket and leads RCB in the IPL, has not commented publicly on the episode. But for Manish, the short-lived identity mix-up brought a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to interact with some of the biggest names in cricket.
