Sports
Virat Kohli’s Retirement Echoes in DGMO’s ‘Ashes to Ashes’ Briefing
New Delhi, May 12, 2025 – Virat Kohli’s sudden retirement from Test cricket sent ripples beyond the pitch, finding a surprising echo in a military briefing on Operation Sindoor. Lt. Gen. Rajiv Ghai, Director General of Military Operations, wove the cricket legend’s exit into a powerful analogy, likening India’s air defenses to a historic Ashes showdown. Here’s how Kohli’s farewell intersected with geopolitics.
Kohli’s Test Retirement
On May 12, Kohli stunned fans by announcing his retirement from Test cricket via Instagram, closing a 14-year chapter with 9,230 runs in 123 matches and 40 wins as captain, per Firstpost. “It’s not easy, but feels right,” he wrote, sparking emotional tributes across India, per India Today. No formal ceremony occurred, but the timing—amid India-Pakistan tensions—amplified its impact.
#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
DGMO’s Cricket Analogy
During a press briefing on Operation Sindoor, Lt. Gen. Rajiv Ghai, a self-professed Kohli fan, paid tribute to the cricketer’s retirement while explaining India’s air defense prowess. “Targeting our airfields is tough. I saw Virat Kohli retired from Test cricket; he’s one of my favorites,” Ghai said, per Hindustan Times. He invoked the 1970s Ashes series, quoting an Australian proverb: “Ashes to ashes, dust to dust, if Thommo don’t get ya, Lillee must,” referring to bowlers Jeff Thomson and Dennis Lillee dismantling England’s lineup, per India Today.
Ghai likened India’s multi-layered defenses—S-400 systems, counter-UAS grids, and electronic warfare—to the bowlers’ relentless attack, neutralizing Pakistan’s May 8 drone and missile strikes on 15 Indian cities, per Rising Kashmir. “Even if you cross one layer, another will hit you,” he added, per Business Standard.
Why It Matters
The remark, delivered days after Operation Sindoor’s May 7 strikes on nine terror camps in Pakistan and PoJK, blended cricket’s cultural pull with military confidence, per SSB Crack. The operation, a response to the April 22 Pahalgam attack (26 deaths), killed over 100 terrorists, per New Indian Express. Pakistan’s retaliation, including a May 11 ceasefire violation killing five in Rajouri, heightened tensions, per DNA India.
Ghai’s analogy resonated deeply, with X posts reflecting national pride. One user wrote, “Kohli’s retirement in a war briefing shows his impact,” per @wrist_flick18. The moment underscored cricket’s role in uniting India during crises, like the suspended IPL 2025, per Times of India.
What’s Next?
Kohli’s future remains unclear, with no confirmed roles beyond cricket, per India TV. India-Pakistan DGMO talks, led by Ghai and Maj. Gen. Kashif Chaudhry, continue to stabilize the May 10 ceasefire, per Times Now. The briefing’s cricket metaphor may linger as a symbol of resilience.
