From village to Virat:Chhattisgarh man’s SIM surprise

 A young man from the small village of Madagaon in Chhattisgarh’s Gariaband district found himself living a cricket fan’s dream after buying a new SIM card — and receiving calls from cricket superstars Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers.The improbable chain of events began when 20-something Manish Bisi, son of farmer Gajendra Bisi, purchased a new Jio SIM card on June 28 from a mobile shop in Deobhog, about eight kilometres from his home. Soon after, with the help of his friend Khemraj, he set up WhatsApp and noticed the display picture was of Rajat Patidar, the rising star who captained Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the 2025 IPL season.
Initially dismissing it as a glitch, the friends were stunned when calls began pouring in from Kohli, de Villiers, and Yash Dayal. “We thought it was an elaborate prank by friends,” Khemraj recalled. They even decided to play along — until reality struck.On July 15, Patidar himself called with a direct plea: “Brother, please return my SIM.” At first, Manish and Khemraj still suspected a joke, but the seriousness in Patidar’s tone — and his mention of involving the police — made them realise it was real.
Gariaband Deputy Superintendent of Police Neha Sinha explained that the SIM card had previously belonged to Patidar but was deactivated under telecom policy after 90 days of inactivity. It was then reassigned to Manish when he bought a new connection.“Manish was actually getting calls from cricketers in Patidar’s contact list. Patidar informed the Madhya Pradesh Cyber Cell, which contacted us. With Manish’s consent, the SIM was returned to him. There was no legal issue; this was simply standard telecom procedure,” Sinha said.
For Manish, Khemraj, and the entire village, the episode was nothing short of surreal. “I never imagined I would speak to Virat Kohli from our village. When AB de Villiers called, he spoke in English — we didn’t understand much, but we were thrilled,” Khemraj said.Manish’s brother, Deshbandhu Bisi, said the villagers — most of whom are RCB fans — are still overjoyed. “Even if it was due to a mix-up, these conversations happened out of sheer luck. People just dream of seeing them; we got to speak to them.”What started as an ordinary SIM purchase turned into a once-in-a-lifetime brush with cricket royalty — a story the villagers of Madagaon are unlikely to forget anytime soon.