Olympics ki Aasha: How Manika Batra is living the table tennis dream

Manika Batra has chalked out her plans clearly. The Indian paddler wants to win a gold medal at the Olympics and help table tennis gain popularity by paving the way for more youngsters to take up the sport.

Manika Batra started playing the sport as a hobby when she was four years old.

“What started as a fun activity has now turned into a full-time profession. I didn’t realize that I would get to this level in table tennis,” the paddler said, in a video to the Ministry of Sports and Youth Affairs.

By her own admission, Manika Batra said representing the country was never on her radar. When she was 13, Manika Batra knew her calling. She wanted to pursue the sport professionally and make a career out of table tennis.

Read: Olympics ki Aasha: How Neeraj Chopra overcame obesity to become a javelin throw star

Snubbing modeling offers, Manika Batra slowly started making inroads into table tennis. The paddler was a quick learner and some of the first few medals at the international level in her trophy cabinet were the two silver and one bronze medal which she won at the Commonwealth Table Tennis Championship.

In 2016, Manika Batra ruled the table at the South Asian Games in Guwahati, winning three gold medals. The world started taking note of the lanky paddler who was quick on her feet along with a plethora of shots in her kitty.

The Commonwealth Games at Gold Coast in 2018 was one of the best international tournaments for Manika Batra. The paddler scripted history by winning four medals, including gold in women’s singles. She added a women’s team gold medal, a silver in women’s doubles and a bronze medal in mixed doubles, partnering Sathiyan Gnanasekaran, to wrap up a successful outing.

“I get goosebumps even today when an Indian flag goes up and when our National Anthem is played after winning. I am reminded of how happy I was standing on the podium at Gold Coast”, Manika reminisced.

Her exploits at the Commonwealth Games earned her the ‘Breakthrough Award’ from the sport’s international federation.

Manika Batra’s playing style - a weapon

The Indian paddler adapts to different game styles very easily. Her ability to slow down a fast-paced game adds advantage to her playing style. However, what stands out is her ability to switch the paddle from the long pimpled rubber side to the inverted side. The long pimpled side comes to the fore during defensive play and Manika Batra’s ability to switch sides in a jiffy to play an attacking shot (predominantly backhand in her case), keeps her in good stead against her opponents.

Watch: Tokyo Olympics-bound Indian paddler Manika Batra practices with Belarusian partner Kiryl Barabanov

“I used to twiddle for fun, at home, like during eating etc. and it has become a habit. I thought, "Why not implement it on the table? It works for me,” Manika Batra said.

Doing her bit for the sport

With her aim to make the sport popular, Manika Batra is doing her bit to motivate youngsters to take up the sport. At the table tennis academy in Pune and Delhi, she makes sure she is always available for the younger aspirants in helping them to play and understand the technical nuances of the sport.

Manika Batra qualified for the Tokyo Olympics 2020 after she became the second-ranked player at the Asian Olympic Qualifiers. And when she steps out in Tokyo, Manika Batra knows her mission – to take Indian table tennis to a place where young aspirants from her country can dream of winning an Olympic medal.