India, Feb. 23 -- Jammu & Kashmir's run to the Ranji Trophy final is special. It was never just about a trophy. Creating history, shedding the underdog tag and writing a fairy tale is inspiring enough. But for a region that has often struggled to find sustained national sporting representation, their performances are also about rewriting their narrative - that playing "naturally" against giants is possible, and that a system can validate their talent.

Until last week, left-arm spinner Abid Mushtaq thought a lot about the catch he dropped in the quarter-final against Kerala last year and J&K missed the semi-finals by one run. But hours after beating Bengal in the semi-finals, he was a picture of self-belief.

"We don't play the names and ...