'Ashes to ashes, dust to dust': Kohli's Test retirement inspires DGMO’s war analogy

In an unexpected yet striking moment during a high-level briefing on Operation Sindoor, Director General of Military Operations Lt Gen Rajiv Ghai drew a bold parallel between cricket and national security. Referencing Virat Kohli’s sudden retirement from Test cricket, he delivered a metaphor-laced assessment of India’s defence readiness against Pakistani aggression.

Speaking to the media alongside other senior military leaders, Lt Gen Ghai said, “I think I should make a cricket reference. Virat Kohli has announced his retirement from Test cricket today. Like most Indians, he is also one of my favourite cricketers.” His comment, though light-hearted on the surface, swiftly transitioned into a sharp metaphor likening India's multi-layered air defence to Australia’s brutal bowling duo from the Ashes series of the 1970s.

“In the 70s, Australian fast bowlers Jeff Thomson and Dennis Lillee destroyed England’s batting lineup,” he explained. “There was a line: ‘Ashes to ashes, dust to dust, if Thommo don’t get you, Lillee must.’ That’s how our defence works—layer after layer. If one system doesn’t shoot the incoming threat, another will.”

The cricket comparison came in the backdrop of escalating tensions with Pakistan. Lt Gen Ghai detailed how India’s air defence systems successfully neutralized multiple Pakistani airstrikes on May 9 and 10, which targeted Indian airfields. None of the attempted strikes managed to breach or damage critical installations, thanks to the layered grid of surface-to-air systems and advanced radar coverage.

Joining him at the briefing were Vice Admiral AN Pramod and Air Marshal AK Bharti, who jointly provided updates on Operation Sindoor—India’s ongoing retaliatory mission post the Pahalgam and Pulwama-linked escalations. The briefing underscored India's evolving strategic response, seamlessly balancing restraint with operational decisiveness.