CWG 2022: Manika Batra endures a horrid run, exits medal-less

Indian table tennis player Manika Batra endured a horrid Commonwealth Games 2022 (CWG) campaign, returning medal-less from all four events she competed in.

The star Indian paddler was a shadow of herself from the 2018 edition, where she won four medals in four events, including the women's singles category.

On Saturday, as Manika Batra and Diya Chitale lost to Wales' Anna Hursey and Charlotte Carey 7-11, 6-11, 13-11, 10-12, it marked the end of a forgettable campaign for the Delhi-based player.

Manika and Sathiyan Gnanasekaran had formed a formidable mixed doubles pair. They partnered in the 2018 CWG edition and once again came together after the Tokyo Olympics.

The pair endured a meteoric rise in the rankings, rising to number six in the world rankings quickly. The pair's success was attributed to the fact that they both complement each other's game and Sathiyan's understanding of how Manika plays with the long-pimpled rubber.

Read: CWG 2022: Achanta Sharath Kamal in red hot form, advances to finals in two events

At the 2022 CWG, Malaysia's Karen Lyne proved to be a thorn in the flesh for her though. The Indian paddler struggled against Lyne in the women's team quarter-finals, going down to the Malaysian in a decisive singles rubber.

When Sathiyan and Manika played in the mixed doubles quarter-finals against Malaysia, it was Lyne who again ousted Manika. Lyne's reading of Manika's game proved to be a game-changer as the lanky paddler lost out on ideas.

In the women's singles, she lost to Jian Zeng of Singapore 4-0 in a lop-sided contest.

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Manika Batra may need to get back to the drawing board

Manika Batra is undoubtedly a star performer. Coming into the Commonwealth Games 2022 as the defending champion in two events, an encore of 2018 was almost a given.

However, the 27-year-old has turned out to be a disappointment, losing the plot early on most occasions.

Nothing appears wrong on paper for Manika. Her game looks solid, and her mix of forehands and backhands is still lethal. The way she breezed through the early stages of the Commonwealth Games gave an idea of how strong the Indian player was to beat.

However, things changed once she ran into the Malaysians. A mental block could have hampered the Indian as she lost the plot against Lyne in a singles contest.

It could have also come as a jolt, out of the blue, that Manika couldn't adjust herself. But at this stage, a quick adaptive mindset to different plans and strategies is most important, something that she looks to be missing out on.

The fact that she played six matches on Friday also proves that there are no fitness issues involved. It is now left to Manika Batra and her support staff to get back on to the drawing board and identify the chinks in her armor and get her ready for the Paris Olympics in 2024.