Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan said Virat Kohli channelled his inner Australian during his on-field banter with Travis Head in Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s IPL 2026 clash against Sunrisers Hyderabad on Friday. Kohli was involved in an animated exchange with Head during the match.
The incident took place during Shivang Kumar’s first over, when Venkatesh Iyer was attacking the bowler aggressively and scoring freely around the ground. Amid the assault, Kohli was seen gesturing towards Head, who was fielding in the mid-wicket region, seemingly asking him to come on and bowl.
Pathan defended Kohli, saying such moments are common in high-pressure games where teams are fighting for crucial points and emotions naturally run high.
“Virat Kohli has always enjoyed playing cricket with that aggressive Australian-style intensity, a bit of banter, competitiveness, and emotion on the field. During that moment, he was asking Travis Head to come on and bowl a few deliveries instead of remaining off the field as an impact substitute,” Pathan said while speaking on JioHotstar’s ‘Google Search AI Mode Match Centre Live’.
“These kinds of exchanges are quite natural in high-pressure games, especially when both teams are competing for crucial positions on the points table. In the end, it was simply part of the intensity and competitive spirit that comes with top-level cricket,” Pathan added.
KOHLI REFUSES TO SHAKE HANDS WITH HEAD
Kohli was heavily involved in on-field banter with Travis Head throughout the game, repeatedly inviting the Australian opener to come on and bowl from the non-striker’s end. At one stage, the RCB batter was even seen gesturing Head away. The SRH star eventually bowled the 18th over and struck immediately, dismissing RCB captain Rajat Patidar with his second delivery.
That exchange was not the only heated moment between the two during the contest. In another instance, Head crossed paths with Kohli while changing his fielding position, with the former India captain once again appearing to say something to the Australian batter.
The drama continued after the match as well, with a viral clip seemingly showing Kohli skipping the customary handshake with Head. While Kohli warmly greeted Pat Cummins, Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan after the game, his apparent snub of the Australian left-hander quickly became a major talking point.
On Friday, Sunrisers Hyderabad beat RCB by 55 runs, but the victory was not enough for them to secure a top-two finish. RCB, despite the defeat, still managed to seal their place in Qualifier 1, where they will face Gujarat Titans.
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