A glorious playing career derailed by a match-fixing ban, followed by protracted court battles and years cast out of the fraternity - it's an arc no cricketer could wish for. For the former India allrounder Ajay Sharma, however, there has been a stirring chapter of redemption.
After years in the wilderness, the long-awaited turnaround came in the form of Jammu and Kashmir's Ranji Trophy campaign, and their historic title triumph was his Chak De India moment. Sharma played in six Ranji Trophy finals for Delhi, but this one, which he spent on the balcony as J&K's head coach, felt special.
Instead of Chak De, however, he reached for another Bollywood metaphor to describe his team before the final against Karnataka. He likened his players to the ensemble of the iconic 1975 Amitabh Bachchan and Dharmendra starrer Sholay. He told them this match required its own blockbuster script.
Who would be Jai? Who would be Veeru? Who would deliver the Gabbar-like punch? He left the answers to the dressing room. "In the end, each of them chose their role and played it," Sharma says. "We don't have one hero. Every character had a part to play. Now they have all become heroes."
The campaign demanded that J&K kept toppling former champions to get to the final, and they did so one by one.
They beat Delhi in their own backyard for the first time, with Paras Dogra scoring a rearguard hundred and Vanshaj Sharma picking up a third-innings six-for. Then came the home match against Hyderabad. After J&K were skittled for 170 on a greentop, Sunil Kumar and Abid Mushtaq responded with five-wicket hauls of their own.
The quarter-final in Indore against Madhya Pradesh followed a now-familiar pattern of early trouble followed by a rescue act. After J&K were bowled out for 194, Auqib Nabi helped them bounce back by claiming seven wickets in MP's first innings to decisively turn the match.
In the semi-final in Kalyani against Bengal, J&K conceded the first-innings lead. But their fast bowlers, led again by Nabi, ripped through Bengal for 99 before Abdul Samad powered them through their chase.
In the final, they ran Karnataka - eight-time champions with five Test players in their XI - ragged. Second-innings centuries from Qamran Iqbal, who arrived in Hubballi only on the morning of the match, and Sahil Lotra, who had been unwell and nursing a niggle days earlier, sealed the contest.
"These are champion teams with experience," Sharma says. "It is never easy to go to their grounds and beat them. But we had momentum, and more importantly, belief."
Instilling belief was the easy bit. Fighting history and infrastructural challenges were tougher.
For nearly five decades, J&K cricket suffered from neglect and bare-bones infrastructure. Even today, there are only two major venues - the Sher-i-Kashmir Stadium in Srinagar and the Gandhi Memorial Science College Ground in Jammu - to service the entire region.
The Srinagar ground remains inaccessible for nearly four months each year due to snowfall in the winters and floodwaters in the monsoon. There is still no indoor facility in the state. The team had to work around these challenges, which they hope will be addressed soon.
"When I joined in 2022, there was a sub-committee led by Mithun Manhas and Brigadier Anil Gupta," Sharma says. "Mithun had a vision. He wanted J&K to win the Ranji Trophy. I told him, 'Mithun, first let's qualify [for the knockouts] consistently and then talk about winning.' But he believed."
For Sharma, backing that belief required a herculean effort.
"As a player, I have seen many finals," he begins. "But as a coach, you face different kinds of pressure. The bonding with the players took time. They didn't like me initially. Our relationship has evolved over time. Today you see the result."
And part of that evolution involved confronting uncomfortable truths.
"Some players think they are stars after playing the IPL. But this is the trophy. Winning the Ranji Trophy gives you real value. It can change your fortune. The sky is the limit now. And they can see it."
That message was driven home most clearly in Sharma's handling of Abdul Samad.
"When I joined, I was not happy with him. He used to throw his wicket away and think he was already a star. It pained me to see a supremely gifted batter do that," Sharma says. "I told him clearly, 'beta [son], you are not a star unless you perform in the Ranji Trophy.' He needed to understand the value of his wicket. This season, he has matured and is among the top run-scorers. I am very happy with his progress."
If Samad symbolised J&K's growth, Nabi embodied their dominance, topping the tournament wicket charts with 60 at an incredible average of 12.56.
"Nabi has been phenomenal," Sharma says. "I haven't seen a bowler like him in a long time. He is very simple - he just keeps bowling at you relentlessly. He has been consistent for two years and is the highest wicket-taker this season. I believe he will play for India soon. The sky is the limit for him."
In many ways, the stepping stone to this campaign was laid during J&K's heartbreaking loss to Kerala in last year's quarter-finals. The match was drawn, and Kerala progressed with a first-innings lead of one run.
"That defeat hurt," Sharma says. "We felt it would stay with us for a long time. We told ourselves we cannot change the past. We can control the present." So they created a simple slogan: 'hum is baar trophy jaane nahi denge [we will not let the trophy go this time].'
The message was pasted on the walls of dressing rooms, team rooms, hotel rooms, on Whatsapp statuses - everywhere.
The final brought fresh challenges. On the eve of the match, injuries disrupted J&K's combination. "Shubham Khajuria is a senior player. Vanshaj had won matches for us. We were confused what to do," Sharma says.
A late-night call went out to Qamran Iqbal. "We asked him to catch an 11:30pm flight and reach by 6am. It wasn't easy. But he showed what he can do for the team. He is a tough character and a match-winner.
"In sport, like in war, there is only one winner. Nobody remembers the runner-up."
Sharma's own journey adds weight to J&K's triumph. He credits Ajay Yadav of TNM Cricket Academy in Ghaziabad for mentoring him during his tough times. And victory feels even sweeter now because of the effort invested over the past four years.
Those who didn't reach out to Sharma for years have called him now, he says. And that many in Delhi who had turned against him are now beginning to warm to him again. Sharma only feels gratitude, though, and wants to move away from the bitterness of the past.
"It is emotional," he says. "My family has supported me through everything. When you stay away from home for seven or eight months, their support means everything. Now at home, they call me coach."
What satisfies him most is how J&K have shifted perceptions.
"Now no one can take J&K lightly. We are a force to reckon with. If your intentions are good and your effort is honest, you can achieve anything. That's what this team has shown."
Along the way, they completed the script Sharma had spoken about on the eve of the final. A blockbuster that will inspire a generation of players from the region.