Glenn Phillips explains why he alternates between left and right-handed batting. A long-term strategy as NZ prepares for India T20 & ODI series.

Auckland: New Zealand all-rounder Glenn Phillips said he prefers batting left-handed during training and clarified that his sporadic move to left-handed batting is a long-term strategy rather than a short-term experiment.

Fans were taken aback when the right-handed batsman abruptly changed his stance during last month’s Vols vs. Stags Super Smash T20 encounter. Phillips clarified that he has been preparing for this shift for a long time and has been training as a left-hander on a regular basis.

“My ability to bat left-handed has always existed. I’ve been doing it since I was a little child. When I was around ten years old, I was genuinely thinking about converting to a left-handed bat, but I ultimately chose to stick with my right. I now practice left-handed batting for two reasons. Phillips told New Zealand Cricket, “One to counter left arm-spin, but also to keep both hands and both sides of the brain working.”

“I started practicing it a little more lately, taking on both spinners and left-handed fast bowlers in the nets. I was more thinking of it as something for the future, but it was really wonderful that I got to use it during the game and did so,” he continued.

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He stated that this concept is a component of his long-term plan and that he may use it in particular game situations. “It’s about having faith in the training and realizing that I’ve prepared for it, so there’s no reason it shouldn’t work.” Then I simply have to watch the ball as much as I can,” he stated.

Phillips is a member of New Zealand’s team for the forthcoming white-ball tour to India, which consists of three One-Day Internationals (ODIs) and five Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is). The latter is essential to both teams’ preparations for the T20 World Cup in February.

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Although he is still unaware of what to expect from the pitches, the all-rounder expressed his excitement for the next tour and his expectation of a warm reception from Indian fans.

Phillips declared, “The preparation is going to be perfect.” “Compared to the World Cup, the conditions may be a little different. Particularly in the subcontinent, where teams may favor spin-friendly surfaces, you can never be certain what kind of pitches they will generate. However, the pitches on T20 and ODI visits are typically excellent.