IPL 2021: Want to create my own legacy, not to fill anyone's shoes, says Glenn Phillips

Dubai [UAE], September 15 (ANI): Having produced some consistent batting blitz in recent times, New Zealand's Glenn Phillips was snapped up by the Rajasthan Royals for the remainder of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 season, and even though he smashed his way to 254 runs in the Caribbean Premier League, the right-handed batter could not help the Barbados Royals secure a semi-final berth.
"At first, I knew there were other players ahead of me, and then with players dropping out, this opportunity came about. There were a couple of other teams who wanted me, but the fact that I was playing for the Barbados Royals already, made sense for me to go with the Rajasthan Royals. I felt it was the right decision to stay with the same franchise," said Phillips in an official release.
"After I joined, Sanju Samson had sent a text welcoming me to the Royals so that was good to see. I had subsequent chats with Sangakkara but that was more of a general catch up because I've played with him before at the Jamaica Tallawahs," added the 24-year-old.
A born athlete who has 'played every sport under the sun', Phillips also added that he "will be happy to fit in wherever the team needs" him to. He continued, "Whether it's opening, in the middle order, bowling, keeping wickets or wherever in the field, I'll just do whatever the team needs for me to do."
Commenting on what the Royals' fans can expect from him, the hard-hitting batter said, "I feel like I have the ability to control the pace of the game depending on what the situation is like regardless of the position I'm batting at. So, if you lose wickets, I feel like I have the batsmanship to be able to take the game deep and then accelerate at the end. Having power in my game does allow me to take it deep till the end and catch up. I can give the team a fast start as well, but also play the longer innings."
Reflecting on what's ahead for the Rajasthan Royals this season, he stated, "From the perspective of our position on the table, being in the fifth spot is a nice little position at the moment because couple of wins from here and we'll be well on our way to qualifying."
Even though he was announced as a replacement for Jos Buttler, Phillips reckons that he's "a completely different player" to the Englishman. "The team has brought me in to do whatever role they need me to play, so it's not really like I'm filling in Jos' shoes, I'm probably filling in my own shoes and looking to create a legacy of my own rather than being a replacement." (ANI)