Australian batter Travis Head and his wife, Jessica, have faced a wave of online hostility after Head became embroiled in an ugly exchange with Virat Kohli during their recent IPL 2026 clash. The confrontation occurred last Saturday at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium, where Sunrisers Hyderabad defeated Royal Challengers Bengaluru by 55 runs.
During Kohli’s innings, the tension flared as the RCB captain and Head traded heated words while Kohli was on 15 runs off 11 deliveries. The trigger for the altercation has not been made clear. After the match, Kohli declined to shake hands with Head. Head extended his hand, but Kohli, having greeted Pat Cummins and Abhishek Sharma, walked by without acknowledging the gesture.
In the aftermath, parts of social media turned their attention to Head and his wife, flooding them with abusive messages. A number of posts referenced the couple’s wedding picture from three years ago, while others escalated the matter by dragging family members into the attacks. Several messages also went further, issuing direct threats toward Head and his loved ones.
Speaking to Australian media outlet The Advertiser, Jessica released a statement about the harassment. She said: “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.”
This is not the first time Jessica has been targeted by Indian fans online. After the 2023 World Cup final and the 2023 World Test Championship final—both of which Australia won—she and her family reportedly received severe and disturbing messages, including threats of rape and kidnapping. A similar wave of abuse was also said to have followed after Australia beat India in the 2024 Boxing Day Test.
Jessica added that there is a wider conversation needed across sport about how people treat one another. “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,” she said.
Head is yet to issue a formal response to the online abuse. However, following the RCB match, he appeared to address the Kohli incident indirectly through an Instagram story that read: “Keep the body guessing.” Some supporters suggested the message was connected to the handshake snub, though the link has not been confirmed.
