Viral IPL Moment with Virat Kohli Turns Ugly as Trolls Target Travis Head’s Wife Jessica

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Following a heated IPL exchange between Virat Kohli and Travis Head, Head’s wife Jessica faced online abuse, prompting concern over rising toxicity and misuse of social media by fans.
Viral IPL Moment with Virat Kohli Turns Ugly as Trolls Target Travis Head’s Wife Jessica
Jessica Head (left), Travis Head and Virat Kohli during the 'no-handshake' viral moment in IPL 2026 (right) Credits: Instagram/jess_head & ANI

Social media has increasingly become a space where negativity often spreads faster than positivity.

It's also strange to see how people who have no direct involvement in an incident can end up becoming targets of online abuse. This trend has been especially visible during the ongoing IPL season.

Recently, Jessica, the wife of Australian batter and Sunrisers Hyderabad opener Travis Head, became the target of online abuse following a viral on-field exchange between Head and Royal Challengers Bengaluru star cricketer Virat Kohli.

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Several fans of Virat Kohli flooded the comment sections of Travis Head's pictures with Jessica, making demeaning and inappropriate remarks about her.

Because of offensive language, the comments couldn't be shared here. Jessica reportedly spoke to Australian media and opened up about the hate messages she had been receiving.

Some sensible fans even chimed in the comments section, urging others not to spread hate against anyone.

How did Jessica Head respond to online trolling after the Kohli–Travis Head IPL controversy?

Amid the backlash, Jessica posted a picture with Travis on Monday evening, the same post that had been flooded with hate comments, appearing to give a subtle yet fitting response to the trolls.

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During the recent SRH vs RCB clash, Travis and Virat had exchange of words at the crease and after the match ended, Virat did not shake Travis's hand even though Aussie batter had extended it.

In the ongoing IPL 2026, Virat has made 557 runs in 14 matches at an average of 50.63, with a strike rate of 163.18, including a century and four fifties.

His side RCB will be taking on Gujarat Titans (GT) in Qualifier One at Dharamsala on Tuesday, with the winner earning a spot in the final at Ahmedabad next Sunday.

On the other hand, Head has had a moderate IPL with 393 runs in 14 matches at an average of 28.07 and a strike rate of above 168, with two fifties.

His team SRH will take on Rajasthan Royals (RR) in the eliminator, with the winner getting to play the loser of Qualifer 1 in the Qualifier 2 to earn their spot in the IPL final.

(With inputs from ANI)