Auckland, October 30: New Zealand batter Glenn Phillips has credited his experience in the Indian Premier League (IPL) for his impressive run of form in the ongoing
T20I series against India, saying the tournament offers valuable lessons even when players do not get regular opportunities.
Phillips struck a match-winning 107 to help New Zealand defeat India by 87 runs in the fourth T20I in Auckland on Friday, ending their three-match losing streak in the five-game series. The right-hander is currently the leading run-scorer in the series, with 276 runs from four matches at an average of 92. His tally includes a century and two half-centuries.
Speaking at the post-match press conference, Phillips explained how the competitive environment of the IPL and the opportunity to work with experienced coaches had helped him improve his game.
"The IPL is a certain beast of its own and the balance of teams being one of eight overseas (players) with only four spots (in the eleven) make it quite tough. So, if you don't go out there and set the world on fire there's always another person waiting in line," Phillips said.
The 29-year-old had a modest IPL 2026 campaign with Gujarat Titans, featuring in only six matches and scoring 67 runs, with 25 being his highest individual score. However, he believes the experience was valuable beyond the numbers he managed during the tournament.
"At Gujarat, I was very lucky to have some unbelievable facilities, some great coaches and plenty of time to work (on his batting). I also showed in England as well being able to have volume (of runs) under the belt - whether it's red ball or white ball," he said.
"You'd love to score runs in the IPL and make a load of cash, and that would be fantastic. But there's a lot of learnings that you can take from that place, whether you're playing or not. I think that is also on each individual that is at the IPL or at any other tournament to be able to make the most out of where they go," he added.
Phillips also enjoyed a productive outing in the Crowe-Thorpe Trophy against England earlier this year, scoring 181 runs in four innings at an average of 60, including a century. New Zealand won the series 2-1.
Glenn Phillips on New Zealand's Big Total Against India
Phillips said New Zealand were aware that they needed a substantial total against India's powerful batting line-up, particularly on the batting-friendly surface at Eden Park.
The hosts posted a massive total, with Phillips' century and Michael Bracewell's aggressive contribution helping them reach the 250-run mark for the first time in the series.
"Yeah, it was a lot of fun also being at the other end while (Michael) Bracewell was going bananas. Obviously, crazy things happen at Eden Park all the time and it was a fantastic pitch. Obviously, you need a tonne of runs to even have a sniff of beating India," he said.
He added that reaching the 250-run mark would give the team confidence going into the final match of the series.
Phillips did not take the field during India's innings after experiencing cramps. However, he played down concerns about the issue, describing his absence as a precautionary measure.
"I think it's just a little bit of stiffness that I felt early on in the innings. But it felt a lot better as we ran through the game, and I think it was more precautionary rather than staying on top of it and avoiding the risk of getting injured this early on in the season," he said.
New Zealand's victory in Auckland reduced India's lead in the five-match series to 3-1, setting up the final T20I as an opportunity for the hosts to finish the series on a positive note.
