CHENNAI: When Glenn Phillips landed in India for the bilateral series in January, the Kiwi knew he could be spending almost five of the next six months in the country. It started with the three ODIs, five T20Is and the T20 World Cup followed by two months at Gujarat Titans in the Indian Premier League with a brief break in March. If things go as well as it did for him and New Zealand, Phillips could end up being in India till May 31, which is when the final is set to be played.
Ask him how the past few months have been, Phillips credits the change in scenery (India and Sri Lanka), and formats to keep things interesting. The other thing that has helped the 29-year-old feel at home is the team environment at Gujarat Titans. "As close as it gets to Black Caps," said Phillips, when asked about his time at Titans. The stay has helped him thrive as well.
"Obviously, some parts are better than others," Phillips laughed when asked if he feels Indian at this point. "It's great to have a change of scene again. It's nice that things are ticking over with different kinds of formats. That keeps things interesting. They (Titans) are an absolutely fantastic franchise to be with. I would say in terms of a franchise environment, it's probably the closest environment I've found to the Black Caps environment that we have cultivated over the last couple of years, very much adapted to the scenario," he added.
Phillips was first signed by Gujarat ahead of the 2025 season but a groin injury meant he had to leave midway. This year, he is keen to make the most of the time with the 2022 champions. A middle-order batter whose role is defined by match situations rather than accumulation of runs, Phillips feels that the team management, led by head coach Ashish Nehra, is clear about what is expected of him. That makes his job and preparation easier.
"They really make you feel welcomed and at home. The way that Ashish and all the coaching staff go about things, they really make sure that you feel as comfortable in your game as possible. You get everything you need in terms of a preparation perspective. I think my role is very much trying to adapt to whatever the situation requires. It requires me to go out there and play a bit more aggressively because the boys have got off to a really good start and obviously play that role. If the pitches are a little bit more conducive for the bowlers and it's a bit more of a hard-work pitch like it was the other night (vs Punjab Kings on Mar 31) potentially, then for us I guess it's about going around adapting as much as possible and then giving our death hitters and our bowlers as much to bowl as possible. My role is as fluid as it possibly can be. I know Ash has made it quite clear that he knows that I know how to go about different situations. I can play under different kinds of pressures. So he's just asked me to go out and do what I do best and see the scenario for what it is," Phillips explained.
Part of feeling at home in Gujarat is the environment created off the pitch by the franchise and the crowd support at the venue. Phillips said even during the T20 World Cup, where New Zealand played India in the final at the New Motera, he had fans cheering for him because of the allegiance with the Titans. "Off the field as well, they're a great group of guys. All the families are around as well. They are incredibly family-orientated, which I think helps the players big time in a tournament that is so long like this. Everybody looking out for each other, playing for something that's a little bit bigger than yourself — I think that's the sort of mindset that's been adopted here over the last couple of years. I think it's a fantastic environment to be in compared to potentially other franchises," Phillips said. "I think even in the World Cup when playing India and the full crowd is there for India, I did feel a lot of love from the fans, which is fantastic. They are on (behind the boundary, they do root for the guys that are in their home franchise side. I definitely felt a little bit of love even though we were playing against India. So being able to have the full crowd behind us this coming game is going to be fantastic," he added.
On Saturday, Phillips had a first-hand taste of it all as Titans took on Rajasthan Royals at their home ground in Ahmedabad. And irrespective of the result, Phillips knows he will try and give everything he can for the Titans and the fans in the rest of the tournament.