New Delhi: Lieutenant General Rajiv Ghai, Director General of Military Operations (DGMO), made a cricket reference from the 1970s to explain how India’s advanced, multi-layered defence system effectively prevented Pakistani aerial strikes. The military also unveiled visuals of the Rahim Yar Khan airbase, showing a large crater left by Indian missile strikes, along with images of the Nur Khan airbase. This was done to highlight the strong impact of the Indian Air Force’s precise and meticulous operations.
‘Ashes to ashes, dust to dust’
At the press briefing on Operation Sindoor on Monday, DGMO Lieutenant General Rajiv Ghai said: “In the 1970s, during the Ashes series between Australia and England, Australian pacers Jeff Thomson and Dennis Lillee were very popular. They wrecked the batting lineup of England, and then Australias invented a proverb — ‘Ashes to ashes, and dust to dust, if Thommo don’t get ya, then Lillee surely must’. If you see the layers, you’ll realise what I am trying to drive home. Even if you crossed all the systems, one of the layers of this grid system will down you.” He pointed out: “Targeting our airfields and logistics is way too tough.”
#WATCH | Delhi | DGMO Lieutenant General Rajiv Ghai says, “Targetting our airfields and logistics is way too tough… I saw that Virat Kohli has just retired from test cricket; he is one of my favourites. In the 1970s, during the Ashes between Australia and England, two… pic.twitter.com/B3egs6IeOA
— ANI (@ANI) May 12, 2025
Talking about India’s powerful air defence, Lt Gen Ghai said the Pakistan Air Force kept targeting Indian airfields on May 9 and 10, but India’s multi-layered systems ensured the attacks failed.
Air Marshal AK Bharti said that “all our military bases, all our systems continue to remain fully operational and ready to undertake any future missions should the need so arise”.
