Sporting tales are filled with triumphs of great teams and individuals. But victories that come against the odds find a special place in the archives.
Sport is also full of metaphors, like the Biblical David slaying Goliath episode, none more fantastic in most recent times than the triumph in an elite group Ranji Trophy match of the Jammu and Kashmir team over Mumbai, the champion team with a world record of 40 wins in the domestic competition.
J&K may be the minnows of Indian cricket, but in the last three years or so they have made rapid strides under the tutelage of legendary spinner Bishen Bedi for a few seasons, and now Sunil Joshi.
What makes the achievements of the J&K team greater is the background, not only of the long fight against terrorism in their state leaving their cricketers with an everyday life not exactly normal by the standards prevailing in the rest of India.
Curiously, their captain, Parvez Rasool, was once a terror suspect, altogether mistakenly of course. Adding to the woes this year were the unprecedented floods in Kashmir.
Cricket was the last thing on their minds as they waited for the water to recede. Home games were not possible and the J&K team had to hit the road for all its engagements.
To beard the Mumbai lion in its own den makes the victory even sweeter. The triumph of the human spirit over adversity is best reflected in such tales as Afghanistan making it to the cricket World Cup and J&K making its presence felt among the elite of Indian cricket.
