Champions Unseen

Indian cricket has lifted countless trophies across formats and categories.

- 

But few victories carry the symbolic force of what unfolded in Colombo on Sunday. By winning the final of the inaugural Women's T20 World Cup for the Blind ~ without losing a single match ~ the Indian team has rewritten not just sporting history but the narrative around disability and women's empowerment in the country.

This triumph was not inevitable. Most of these players come from remote villages, from farming families that had never imagined their daughters would travel the world, let alone bring home a world title.

Many took up the sport in their late teens, learning its modified rhythm: the ball that rattles, the underarm bowler who rolls it along the ground, the batter listening for the right moment to swing.