Following Travis Head’s altercation with India cricket superstar Virat Kohli during an IPL match, the Australian cricketer and his wife Jessica have been the target of a torrent of internet hate.
During Friday’s IPL encounter between Kohli’s Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Head’s Sunrisers Hyderabad, the players had an on-field spat. After a heated exchange of words, Kohli was dismissed for 15, and his team lost by 55 runs.
Kohli disregarded Head’s extended arm and shook hands with the other players as the two groups of players lined up for the post-match handshakes.
Since then, Head and Jessica’s Instagram profiles have been inundated with hateful remarks, purportedly from fans of the former India captain.
Jessica revealed to The Advertiser newspaper that abusive private messages had also been sent to her relatives and family.
“I woke up to my socials blasting… we are fine but they are attacking my friends and family. 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 on Monday, according to the reports.
Additionally, she described it as “a repeat of the abuse that happened after the World Cup”—a reference to the 2023 50-over ODI tournament in which Australia defeated the hosts, India, in the Ahmedabad final.
