Left is sometimes right for NZ's switch-hitting batter Phillips

New Zealand batter Glenn Phillips said his audacious switch-hitting show in a recent Super Smash match was no gimmick but a tactical option he has honed for years to counter left-arm spin.

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In last week's match against Central Districts, Otago right-hander Phillips switched stance while off-spinner Dean Foxcroft was midway through his run-up, and hit the bowler for a four with what could have been mistaken for a full-blooded cover drive from a left-handed batter.

Jaws dropped further in the final over of the Otago innings when Phillips took up a left-hander's stance even before left-arm spinner Jayden Lennox had begun his run-up and hit the bowler for a six.

“I do enjoy my left-handed batting training,” Phillips, who smashed an unbeaten 90 off 48 balls in the game, said before leaving for New Zealand's white-ball tour of India on Tuesday.