After his old mobile number was transferred to someone else, Rajat Patidar, the captain of the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), found himself in an odd predicament. The Indian batter eventually called the police after what at first appeared to be a regular communication problem swiftly turned into an unexpected chain of events.
NDTV reported that Patidar’s old number has been idle for more than ninety days. His service provider cancelled the number and transferred it to a new user in accordance with ordinary telecom policy. A teenager from Chhattisgarh’s Gariaband area named Manish then bought the number and activated it in late June using a Reliance Jio SIM card. Manish and his friend Khemraj noticed something strange shortly after the number was activated: a picture of Rajat Patidar himself was shown on the WhatsApp profile connected to the number.
When cricketing greats Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers started calling, the situation took an increasingly bizarre turn. Unaware of the number change, both players thought they were speaking with Patidar directly. At first, the two young men thought the whole thing was funny and thought it was a prank or a mix-up.
Patidar Responds But They Thought It Was a Joke
After learning of the situation, Patidar made an effort to address it by getting in touch with Manish directly and asking for the return of his old number. He clarified that the number contained many valuable contacts, including teammates, coaches, and other cricket players. But the reaction he got was anything but helpful. “And we’re MS Dhoni,” Manish joked, obviously not thinking the real Rajat Patidar was on the line.
“Okay, I’ll send the cop,” the 30-year-old batter warned them, frustrated by their lack of seriousness. The situation became even worse when local police officers arrived at Manish’s house in ten minutes.
When the police are called, the boys cooperate.
Manish and his companion Khemraj soon realised it wasn’t a joke after the cops explained the seriousness of the issue. They readily turned over the SIM card and cooperated completely.
A Mix-Up Turns Into a Once-in-a-Lifetime Moment
After an 18-year wait, Rajat Patidar made headlines earlier this year when he led Royal Challengers Bengaluru to their first-ever Indian Premier League (IPL) championship. Patidar was instrumental in leading the team to a historic victory in his first season as captain.
“I got to speak to Kohli because of a wrong number. My life’s goal is complete,” he said.
In retrospect, Khemraj characterised the event as strange, something he never thought would happen to him.
