Travis Head's wife says friends, family faced online abuse after Virat Kohli IPL spat 'feels like post-2023 World Cup' originally appeared on Cricket News. Add Cricket News as a Preferred Source by clicking here. Sunrisers Hyderabad cricketer Travis Head and his wife Jessica were subjected to online abuse after the Australian's IPL clash with RCB's Virat Kohli. Jessica said trolls also targetted friends and family members through social media and private messages.
She said the situation reminded her of the abuse that followed Australia's 2023 World Cup final win over India at Ahmedabad. Head and Kohli had a heated on-field exchange during the SRH vs RCB match, which led to the latter ignoring a handshake from the Aussie batter in the post-match. The on-field tension between Virat Kohli and Travis Head during the IPL 2026 clash between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Royal Challengers Bengaluru reportedly spilled over onto social media, with Head's wife Jessica revealing that their family received online abuse following the match. The incident occurred during Friday's contest between SRH and RCB, when Head and Kohli exchanged heated words in the middle.
The interaction initially appeared to be light banter, with Head seemingly gesturing towards Kohli's outside-off weakness during the 2024 Border-Gavaskar Trophy. However, Kohli possibly viewed it as disrespectful, and the duo, particularly the Indian, became more aggressive during the game. The situation drew more attention after the post-match handshake line, where Kohli appeared to walk past Head's outstretched hand while greeting other players. MORE:IPL 2026 playoffs: The four best teams are through, but SRH might just be peaking at the perfect time
Following the match, social media accounts belonging to Travis Head and Jessica were reportedly flooded with abusive comments, reportedly from Kohli and Indian fans. Jessica also revealed that friends and family members became targets. "It feels like a repeat of the abuse that happened after the World Cup. I woke up to my socials blasting — we are fine but they are attacking my friends and family." She also pointed toward a broader issue regarding online behavior in sports.
"I think across all sports at the moment there's an important conversation around mental health, perspective and the way we speak to one another." Jessica added that while passion is part of sport, people should not forget that athletes and their families are real individuals behind the public image. "Passion will always be part of sport, but so is remembering there are real people and families behind the game. Hopefully this encourages more kindness and support for one another." The comments also referenced the aftermath of the 2023 ODI World Cup final, where Travis Head's match-winning performance against India led to online backlash from a section of fans.
MORE:'Panga na lo': RR's brutal reply after knocking PBKS out of IPL 2026 playoffs; full rivalry timeline from Salman Khan tweet Virat Kohli may have had his own reasons to be irritated by Travis Head's gesture, which appeared to reference his outside-off weakness during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. The RCB star's decision to seemingly ignore Head's handshake after the match also came across as unsportsmanlike, regardless of the emotions of the moment. Kohli is not the first cricketer to react emotionally in the heat of battle, and he certainly won't be the last.
But what may have started as an on-field exchange appears to have snowballed into something much bigger. In the process, it seems to have given a section of fans a reason to target Head and, more worryingly, people around him. That's where the line should always be drawn. Rivalries belong on the field; friends and families should never become part of the fallout from a cricket confrontation.
No one could probably relate to this better than Kohli himself, who has always been fiercely protective of his family. So the Indian superstar may have accidentally opened a can of worms, which he might regret when things cool down. To keep up to date with all the latest cricket news and share your opinion on the biggest topics visit our Facebook, Instagram and X (Twitter) pages.
