Ashes to ashes: Army official likens India air defence to lethal Lillee-Thomson duo

India Today

12-05-2025

Lieutenant General Rajiv Ghai, Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) of the Indian Army, drew a cricket eulogy during a press conference on Operation Sindoor as Virat Kohli announced his retirement. Ghai, while explaining the air defence system's power and precision, likened it to deadly duo of Australian fast bowlers, Jeff Thomson and Dennis Lillee.Speaking during the press conference, he mentioned that it was an apt mention today given that Kohli announced his retirement from Test cricket.advertisement"Since Virat Kohli retired today, we can talk about cricket and since he is my favourite cricketer too like other Indians. I remember an incident when I was in school in the 70s. There was a match between England and Australia. At that time, two ace bowlers of Australia - Jeff Thomson and Dennis Lillee destroyed the English batting line-up. At that time, Australia coined a proverb - 'ashes to ashes, dust to dust, if Thommo don't get ya, Lillee must."
He further said, "If you see the layers, you'll understand what I am trying to say. Even if you crossed all the layers, one of the layers of this grid system will hit you," he said to explain how powerful and precise the air defence system is.The strength of India's air defence ecosystem was seen during Operation Sindoor and the strikes that followed as Pakistan escalated the situation. The two countries engaged in intense cross-border drone and missile strikes coming to a war-like situation before announcing a ceasefire understanding.advertisementIndia, during Operation Sindoor, hit nine terror camps, eliminating over 100 terrorists across Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (POK). Rattled by India's response to Pahalgam terror attack, which claimed 26 lives, it fired drones and missiles toward India's border cities, but all of them were successfully destroyed by India's powerful air defence system.