"Virat Kohli is very animated, conflicts happen in tight games" - Eoin Morgan downplays Kohli-Buttler spat

England white-ball captain Eoin Morgan has downplayed the verbal duel between Virat Kohli and Jos Buttler in the fifth India-England T20I in Ahmedabad on Saturday.

Speaking in a press conference after his side's 36-run defeat in the game, Eoin Morgan admitted that he was unaware of what exactly transpired between Kohli and Butler.

Nevertheless, Eoin Morgan described his Indian counterpart as a passionate and 'animated' character while remarking that 'conflicts' are not rare in closely-contested games like the one on Saturday.

"I don't know actually (what exactly happened). Obviously, Virat is very animated when he plays, a big character in the game, that's just who he is; he rides the emotions of the game. Sometimes in tight games, people can have conflicts, that's not uncommon. I think that was the instance," said Eoin Morgan.

Jos Buttler, who was batting splendidly on 52, was visibly annoyed after he holed a catch to long-off. Barbs were exchanged between him and Virat Kohli, and the latter even followed the batsman for a few moments as he walked back to the pavilion.

Malan and Buttler were having a great partnership - but it’s finally broken. Buttler goes for 52 (34), caught by Hardik Pandya. Bhuvi gets the wicket. Words were exchanged between Kohli and Buttler as he walked off. Looked heated. 🇮🇳🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿#INDvENG

— Chloe-Amanda Bailey (@ChloeAmandaB) March 20, 2021

Subsequently, Virat Kohli had an animated discussion with the on-field umpires as well.

Eoin Morgan hails Ben Stokes's role in England T20I team

Ben Stokes (left) and Eoin Morgan

Star all-rounder Ben Stokes had an underwhelming outing in England's recently-concluded 2-3 series defeat against India.

The left-hander, batting mostly at no. 6, contributed a dismal 84 runs with the bat from three innings and picked up three wickets with the ball in the five-match series.

Speaking about Ben Stokes' role in England's T20I team, Eoin Morgan said that the all-rounder has done an 'exceptional job' in fulfilling the challenging responsibilities assigned to him.

"The role Ben has played for us in the middle order, when he has had opportunities to play, he has done a really exceptional job. It is actually a really difficult role to fulfill. It's something he has taken on board and embraced. In the last game, he played really really well. We would have liked him to kick on, but it didn't necessarily happen, but his contributions when given the opportunity have been really well," said Eoin Morgan.

England and India will renew acquaintances in a three-match ODI series in Pune on Tuesday.