Travis Head, wife face online abuse after IPL clash with Kohli

Australian cricketer Travis Head and his wife Jessica Head have reportedly faced online abuse after an on-field exchange between Head and Indian batter Virat Kohli during an Indian Premier League (IPL) match on Friday.

The incident took place during the T20 fixture between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Royal Challengers Bengaluru. Television footage showed the two players exchanging heated words during the match.

Kohli was dismissed for 15 runs as Bengaluru suffered a 55-run defeat against Hyderabad. During the post-match handshake line, footage appeared to show Kohli not shaking Head’s hand while greeting other players.

Following the match, the Instagram accounts of Travis Head and his wife were reportedly flooded with abusive comments, allegedly from some cricket fans reacting to the incident.

According to Australian media reports, Jessica Head said friends and family members had also received hateful private messages online.

Speaking to The Advertiser newspaper, she said: “Passion will always be part of sport, but so is remembering there are real people and families behind the game.”

She added that the online backlash reminded her of the abuse faced after Australia defeated India in the 2023 Cricket World Cup final in Ahmedabad.