Ravichandran Ashwin reveals how fake ‘CSK Player’ tried to get Virat Kohli’s number

Earlier this week, Manish Bisi, a young man from Madagaon village in Chhattisgarh Gariaband district, bought a SIM card from a local shop and found himself on a wild ride he never imagined.

Bisi was stunned to receive calls from cricket legends like Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers after activating a number that once belonged to Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) captain Rajat Patidar. Manish and his friend Khemraj initially thought Patidar’s profile picture on WhatsApp was just a glitch. However, they soon realized it was real, just like the voices they heard on the other end.

While Manish and Khemraj were in disbelief as callers introduced themselves as Kohli, de Villiers, and Dayal, they stayed grounded, assuming it was a prank.

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Khemraj admitted they even decided to play – until July 15, When Rajat Patidar himself called with a heartfelt request: “Brother, please return my SIM.”

After hearing about the incident, Indian spin legend Ravichandran Ashwin shared a similar experience. He said he was almost being tricked into giving away Virat Kohli’s phone number after the IPL 2025. Ashwin, who retired from international cricket last year but still play in the IPL, revealed that a prankster posing as his CSK teammate Devon Conway had nearly fooled him.

“After the IPL got over, one guy messaged me, claiming to be Devon Conway, ‘Hi buddy, how are you?’ and I also responded, ‘We’ll stay in touch. You’re playing in MLC; I’ll watch the games.’ He then asked, ‘I’ve lost Virat Kohli’s number, can you share it?’ I thought, why is he asking for Virat’s number? I thought I should ask him, but I didn’t want Devon Conway to misunderstand. Then I picked Virat Kohli’s card and gave him a different number,” Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.

“Once I shared it, he replied, ‘I’ve lost a few more numbers.’ I asked whose numbers, and he responded, ‘Rohit Sharma and MS Dhoni.’ I got suspicious and thought somebody was playing a prank. I then asked him a question, ‘I gave you a bat this year, how’s that bat?’ He said the bat is amazing, but I hadn’t even given him any bat. He lied, and I blocked him instantly. The guy took a chance. I went back to the CSK group and checked Devon Conway’s number, and it was not the same. At least I had the smarts to send the duplicate card of Virat. It was his WhatsApp number in Australia. Thank goodness, because he was asking for everybody’s numbers,” he added.