A peculiar incident involved Indian cricketer and Royal Challengers Bengaluru skipper Rajat Patidar, a reactivated mobile number, and two cricket enthusiasts from Chhattisgarh. What started as a routine telecom process evolved into a comical and slightly complicated scenario.
Patidar’s old mobile number was deactivated due to prolonged inactivity, exceeding the 90-day limit. Following telecom guidelines, the service provider re-assigned the number. Manish, a young man from Chhattisgarh’s Gariaband district, became the new user after activating the number with a Reliance Jio SIM card in late June.
Almost immediately after activation, Manish and his friend Khemraj noticed Rajat Patidar’s WhatsApp profile picture. Amused at first, they were then bewildered when they began receiving calls from renowned cricketers such as Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers.
Unaware of the number’s significance, the two friends initially dismissed the calls as either a joke or an unlikely event.
Patidar intervened and directly contacted the number, asking for the SIM’s return. He explained the importance of the number for maintaining contact with essential personnel. However, Manish and Khemraj were skeptical of his identity, responding with a jestful, “And we’re MS Dhoni!”, convinced it was a prank.
Becoming increasingly frustrated, Patidar threatened to involve the police. Shortly afterward, local police officers arrived at Manish’s home, validating the gravity of the situation. The young men then fully cooperated, returning the SIM card to Patidar through official channels.
Despite the unusual circumstances, Khemraj viewed the situation optimistically and declared, “I got to speak to Kohli because of a wrong number. My life’s goal is complete.”