"What would you be if you weren't a cricketer?"
It's Glenn Phillips on the other side of the conversation, so you might know the answer without him having to spell it out. Think. What does he do on a cricket field? Okay, many things, but what do you recall most vividly?
Yup, flying!
"Yeah, it's a huge passion of mine. If I wasn't playing cricket and I had all the money in the world growing up, I probably would have ended up being a pilot, to be fair. I love being in the air," Phillips told PTI. "I love all the procedures around being a pilot, the radio communications, but obviously the handling of the plane itself. And I don't really know why I love it so much, but I think anybody who's into aviation doesn't really know either.
"Obviously, the feeling of flying is something that humans have wanted all the time. So, I guess I'm no different from all those people."
Phillips is 28. At the peak of his career. Busy with New Zealand and at franchise leagues around the world, which has brought him to Gujarat Titans (GT) now to play in IPL 2025. But, yeah, he could soar much higher than he does after retirement.
"I guess if it comes down to wanting to do something that I enjoy after cricket, ideally, I'd like to be able to go into the mountains and have absolutely no need for work and do all my hobbies," he said. "But if push comes to shove, it means that I still need to work, piloting would be my first option on the list."