After Virat Kohli spat on himself, Travis Head's wife reveals she faced hate and brutal online abuse

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

Jessica revealed she was once again the target of abusive messages and trolling across social media platforms after Head was involved in an on-field spat with Kohli. She said the situation is emotionally draining and stressful 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 rocked India with his match-winning knock of 137 in the final in Ahmedabad.

‘THEY ATTACK FRIENDS AND FAMILY’

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

“It feels like a repeat of the abuse that happened after the World Cup. I woke up to my social media … we’re fine but they’re attacking my friends and family,” Jessica told Australian media outlet The Advertiser.

“I think across all sports there’s an important conversation going on right now about mental health, perspective and the way we talk to each other. Passion will always be a part of sport, but so is recognizing that there are real people and families behind the game. Hopefully this will encourage more kindness and support for each other,” added Jessica.

WHAT HAPPENED BETWEEN HEAD AND KOHLI?

The flashpoint developed during Shivang Kumar’s opener when Venkatesh Iyer launched an aggressive attack and found boundaries with ease. Amidst the onslaught, Kohli appeared to motion to Travis Head, who was standing at mid-wicket, seemingly urging him to take over the bowling duties. In the next moment, Kohli was also seen waving the Australian away.

Head finally came into the attack in the 18th over and made an immediate impact as he removed RCB captain Rajat Patidar with just his second ball. But that wasn’t the only tense exchange between the two stars. Later in the innings, Head crossed paths with Kohli while he was changing fielding positions, with the former Indian captain again exchanging words with him.

The drama spilled over beyond the match, as a viral video seemed to show Kohli bypasses the usual handshake with Head after the game. While Kohli greeted the likes of Pat Cummins, Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan warmly, his apparent disdain for the head became the main topic of online conversation.

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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Issued by:

sabyasachi chowdhury

Published on:

May 25, 2026 09:58 IST

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