Head and wife attacked after Kohli handshake snub

Travis Head and his wife Jess have been hit by vile online abuse after a tense IPL moment with Virat Kohli escalated into a social media backlash, with messages allegedly targeting their friends and family.

Travis Head and his wife Jess woke up to a familiar kind of backlash — this time sparked by an IPL moment that never should have followed them off the field.

After Sunrisers Hyderabad beat Royal Challengers Bengaluru by 55 runs, television cameras captured a heated clash between Head and Virat Kohli, culminating in Kohli refusing to shake Head’s hand. Words were exchanged in the middle, but what exactly sparked the confrontation was left unclear.

The on-field incident quickly turned into one of the ugliest social media storms the rivalry has produced. Abusive comments reportedly flooded the Instagram accounts of Travis Head and Jess Head. with some messages allegedly targeting members of their family. Many of the worst posts have since been moderated, replaced by supportive messages from Head’s Indian fanbase.

One Indian supporter posted a threat directed at Jess Head, saying: “I will make your mother naked and make her **** with a dog.”

Jess Head, who runs a public relations company called Helix PR, addressed the situation publicly with a plea for perspective. She said there is an important conversation across sports at the moment about mental health. perspective. and the way people speak to one another. Her message was direct: passion belongs in sport. but the people who carry that passion — “real people and families” — are not a target.

“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,” Jess Head said.

She added, “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,” before returning to the personal impact. “I woke up to my socials blasting… we are fine but they are attacking my friends and family.”

Before the backlash intensified, Head also posted a cryptic Instagram story reading, “Keep the body guessing,” which fans speculated was linked to the incident. What began as speculation and tension between two elite players turned darker as the abuse spilled beyond them.

The controversy has reignited memories of previous online attacks. Jess Head said it felt like a repeat of the abuse that came after the 2023 ODI World Cup final, when Australia defeated India.

Cricket commentator Bharat Sundaresan said the reaction had spiralled out of control. He described Kohli’s refusal to shake hands as “not great behaviour. ” but argued that social media’s “evil forces” took over after that. Sundaresan also pointed to the tribal nature of Indian cricket fandom around certain cricketers. saying it has become more intense in recent times.

Sundaresan revealed he had spoken directly with Head amid the storm. He said, “You can’t do much about it,” and that the best approach is to step away rather than respond — adding, “do not respond to any of it.”

He argued that even when a spat involves major players like Virat Kohli and Travis Head, the safest response can be distance: “You just need some days away from social media and a day where you had a spat with Virat Kohli is definitely one of them,” Sundaresan said.

Travis Head Jess Head Virat Kohli IPL Sunrisers Hyderabad Royal Challengers Bengaluru Instagram abuse Helix PR Bharat Sundaresan