After Virat Kohli spat, Travis Head's wife reveals facing hate, brutal online abuse

Australian cricketer Travis Head’s wife, Jessica, has spoken out about facing renewed online abuse following a heated on-field incident involving Head and Virat Kohli during the IPL 2026 clash between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Royal Challengers Bengaluru on May 22.

Jessica revealed that she has once again been targeted with abusive messages and trolling across social media platforms after Head was involved in an on-field spat with Kohli. She said the situation has been emotionally draining and distressing for her and her family.

She added that the nature of the abuse felt like a repeat of what she experienced after the ICC ODI World Cup 2023. Head had rattled India with his match-winning 137-run knock in the final in Ahmedabad.

‘THEY ARE ATTACKING FRIENDS AND FAMILY’

Jessica said she woke up to abusive social media messages targeting her friends and family, urging better mental health awareness, perspective, and kindness, reminding fans players and families are real people.

“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,” Jessica told Australian media outlet The Advertiser.

“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. 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,” Jessica added.

WHAT HAPPENED BETWEEN HEAD AND KOHLI?

The flashpoint unfolded during Shivang Kumar’s opening over as Venkatesh Iyer launched an aggressive attack, finding boundaries with ease. Amid the onslaught, Kohli appeared to gesture towards Travis Head, who was stationed at mid-wicket, seemingly inviting him to take over the bowling duties. At another moment, Kohli was also seen motioning the Australian away.

Head eventually entered the attack in the 18th over and made an instant impact, removing RCB skipper Rajat Patidar with just his second ball. However, that was not the only tense exchange between the two stars. Later in the innings, Head crossed paths with Kohli while shifting fielding positions, with the former India captain once again appearing to exchange words with him.

The drama spilled beyond the match as a viral video appeared to show Kohli bypassing the customary handshake with Head after the game. While Kohli greeted players like Pat Cummins, Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan warmly, his apparent snub of Head became a major talking point online.

Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan later defended Kohli, saying such fiery exchanges are common in high-stakes encounters where emotions often run high.

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