During Vols vs Stags Super Smash T20 match last month, the right-handed batter unexpectedly switched his stance, surprising fans. Phillips explained that he has been training as a left-hander regularly and has been preparing for this change over a long period.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\"I\u2019ve always been able to bat left-handed. It\u2019s something I\u2019ve done since I was young. I was actually considering switching to bat left-handed when I was about 10 years old, but decided to stick with the right hand. These days, I train batting left-handed for two reasons. One to keep both hands and both sides of the brain working, but also to be able to counteract left arm-spin,\" Phillips told New Zealand Cricket.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\"I started working on it a bit more recently, facing pace-bowlers left-handed in the nets as well as spinners. I was more thinking it was something for the future but the fact that the opportunity came during the game to use it and I was able to pull it off was pretty cool,\" he added.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
He mentioned that this idea is part of his long-term strategy and that he might implement it in specific match scenarios. \u201cIt\u2019s about trusting the training and understanding that I\u2019ve done the preparation leading into it, so there\u2019s no reason it shouldn\u2019t work. I\u2019ve then just got to watch the ball as much as possible,\u201d he said.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Phillips is a part of New Zealand\u2019s squad for the upcoming white-ball tour of India, which features three ODIs followed by five T20Is, with the latter proving to be crucial in both teams\u2019 preparations for the T20 World Cup in February.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
He mentioned that this idea is part of his long-term strategy and that he might implement it in specific match scenarios. \u201cIt\u2019s about trusting the training and understanding that I\u2019ve done the preparation leading into it, so there\u2019s no reason it shouldn\u2019t work. I\u2019ve then just got to watch the ball as much as possible,\u201d he said.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cThe preparation is going to be perfect,\u201d Phillips said. \u201cThe conditions might be a bit different from what we\u2019ll get in the World Cup. You never quite know what kind of pitches teams will produce, especially in the subcontinent, where they sometimes favour spin-friendly surfaces. But on T20 and ODI tours, the pitches are usually very good.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n