Former India batter and commentator Aakash Chopra has hit out hard at online trolls who have been directing abuse toward cricketers’ families, after Travis Head’s wife Jessica said that hateful messages extended to the batter’s close friends and relatives following his recent IPL 2026 clash with Virat Kohli.
How the Kohli-Head controversy snowballed
- The row began during Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s match against Sunrisers Hyderabad in Hyderabad last week, when Kohli and Head exchanged heated words in the middle of the field.
- Although the precise wording of the on-field back-and-forth was never fully clarified, tensions appeared to linger beyond the end of the contest.
- Viral footage circulated showing Head moving toward Kohli for the customary handshake, only for Kohli to seemingly move past him while greeting other SRH players.
- The incident quickly spread across social media, triggering intense arguments among supporters of both franchises.
- Jessica Head later said the online hostility escalated further, moving beyond cricket talk and turning toward the players’ inner circle.
Speaking about the fallout, Jessica said it felt similar to earlier waves of abuse that followed major international tournaments. “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 said.
Chopra then condemned the behaviour with strong language, criticising fans for involving wives and children in sporting rivalries. “People abusing wives… kids… are the lowest form of scumbags,” he wrote on X. He added that the same people who resort to such attacks would not tolerate even “an iota of criticism” aimed at themselves or their own idols, calling them “hypocrites.”
Jessica Head links it to past ICC backlash
Jessica also pointed to a pattern of similar targeting after Australia’s big wins over India in major ICC events. She referenced the 2023 ODI World Cup final, the World Test Championship final, and the 2024 Boxing Day Test as examples where the level of online hostility appeared to surge.
She stressed the need for a more thoughtful approach to public conversations around sport. “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,” she said. “Passion will always be part of sport, but so is remembering there are real people and families behind the game.”
Travis Scott targeted due to name confusion
The situation then took an even stranger turn when some supporters mistakenly went after American rapper Travis Scott on social media. The mix-up happened because of the shared first name with Travis Head.
Scott’s Instagram account reportedly attracted a flood of abusive comments tied to the Kohli-Head controversy, despite the rapper having no connection to cricket or the IPL. The episode underlined how online outrage and trolling can spill well beyond the sport itself, dragging unrelated people into the backlash.
