New Delhi [India]: On the day cricketing icon Virat Kohli announced his retirement from Test cricket, Indian Army’s Director General of Military Operations (DGMO), Lt Gen Rajiv Ghai, drew inspiration from the cricket legend to explain the effectiveness of India’s multi-layered air defence system during Pakistan’s recent military aggression.
Speaking at a joint press conference on Operation Sindoor, Lt Gen Ghai described the layered grid that successfully thwarted Pakistani airstrikes, using a nostalgic cricket analogy to simplify its effectiveness.
“I saw that Virat Kohli has just retired from Test cricket; he is one of my favourites like so many Indians,” Lt Gen Ghai said. He then referred to a famed line from cricketing lore:
“In the 1970s, during an Ashes series, Australia had two legendary pacers — Jeff Thomson and Dennis Lillee — who wrecked the English batting line-up. Australians used to say, ‘From Ashes to Ashes, from Dust to Dust, if Thommo don’t get ya, then Lillee surely must.’”
He added,
“If you see the layers of India’s air defence system, you’ll understand what I am trying to say — even if you crossed all the layers, one of them will surely take you down.”
Referring to Pakistan’s air attacks on May 9 and 10, Lt Gen Ghai said the Indian Armed Forces’ air defence network—comprising counter-unmanned aerial systems, vintage and modern air defence weapons, electronic warfare tools, and shoulder-fired weapons—proved impenetrable.
“There was no chance that Pakistan could’ve broken our multi-layered defence system and targeted our airfields or logistics installations,” he affirmed.
The remarks come days after India launched Operation Sindoor on May 7, targeting multiple terror sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied-Kashmir (PoK) in retaliation for the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22 that claimed 26 lives.
While India’s strikes were confined to terrorist infrastructure, Pakistan’s subsequent military response was decisively repelled. Indian forces retaliated in a calibrated and measured manner, causing significant damage to Pakistan’s airbases and military assets.
The cricket analogy from India’s senior-most military leadership served as a poignant symbol of national pride — linking the resilience of Indian defence systems with the determination and legacy of one of the country’s greatest cricketers.