By Dharmesh Prajapati
The on-field tension between Virat Kohli and Travis Head exposed the ugly side of modern-day cricket and it was the latter’s wife Jessica, who had to endure the dark reality. In an interaction with Australian media outlet, The Advertiser, Jessica revealed encountering online abuse and vile comments targeting her, family, and friends by fans of Kohli.
The frosty on-field moment took place during the match between Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in Hyderabad last week. It all started with Kohli celebrating Head’s wicket with an animated reaction after the SRH opener was castled by Rasikh Salam Dar for 26. Things didn’t end as Kohli also appeared to be making gestures towards Head when RCB were batting in the second innings. It peaked when Kohli snubbed the customary handshake with Head following the match, which was despite the Australian having his arm outstretched but the RCB star simply chose to ignore.
The moment triggered a section of Kohli supporters, who bombarded Head and his wife’s social media pages with abuses and vile comments.
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Meanwhile, this isn’t something new for Jessica, who disclosed going through similar experience when India lost the 2023 ODI World Cup final against Australia.
“It feels like a repeat of the abuse that happened after the World Cup. I woke up to my socials blasting… we are fine but they are attacking my friends and family,” Jessica told the media outlet.
“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. 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 added.
RCB and SRH in playoffs
Both RCB and SRH have qualified for the playoffs. RCB take on Gujarat Titans in the Qualifier 1 on Tuesday, while SRH go against Rajasthan Royals in the Eliminator scheduled for the next day. For RCB and SRH to meet again, they can either face each other in the final, or Qualifier 2, but it all depends on the results of Qualifier 1 and the Eliminator.