Manika’s victory could prove vital for Indian TT
There are 57 women ranked above her in the world. But for now, Manika Batra is on top of the world. On Monday, the table tennis world was stunned as Manika beat world No 4 Feng Tianwei of Singapore, 11-8, 8-11, 7-11, 11-9, 11-7 in the first match of the women’s team final.
Madhurika Patkar and veteran Mouma Das then combined to beat the strong Singaporean combination of Yu Mengyu and Zhou Yihan 11-7, 11-6, 8-11, 11-7. Manika then came back to sweep away Zhou Yihan 11-7, 11-4, 11-7.
For the first time since 2002, the Singaporeans will not go back home with a gold. The best Asian team in the CWG lost comprehensively to a team ranked six places below in world rankings, and one player made the difference.
Manika had steadily been moving up the ranks over the past five years. The Delhi girl had won gold in the 2nd division of the World TT Championship in 2016.
“Since I was nine, I have been winning all tournaments in Delhi. So, I thought it was time to move on to bigger events,” Manika had said after qualifying for Rio 2016, where she and the team crashed out in the first round.
Since then, it has been six hours of practice every day and a dream of breaking into the top 10.
Veteran Feng Tianwei, a triple Olympic medallist and 2015 Asian Cup winner, said, “I played her many years ago and she has changed a lot since. I didn’t train against (to counter) her playing style... I think she is the only one in the world who uses this style.”
Manika agreed : “I was playing more forehand and they didn’t know that I would attack more... I didn’t watch her (Feng’s) videos before the match, but I trained against her style. It is the biggest victory of my career.”
Manika used a clever strategy to confuse the Singaporeans. She kept her bat close to the table and at an angle for spin, with many of her returns flat and fast. Also, she flipped her bat midway so that the opponents found it hard to predict which side of the bat — which determines the spin of the ball — she would use in her returns. That is a potent weapon in TT.
Manika’s win and the women’s team gold could be a turning point for Indian table tennis. Two years ago, Manika was ranked outside 200. At Rio, she was No. 115 and she looks good to break into the top 50 soon.
In a few weeks’ time, the World Team Championships will kick off in Sweden. India are in Group A along with China, Singapore and Russia, all ranked higher. The top three will qualify for the Round of 16. A medal is unlikely but India could finish in top 16. The 2019 edition in Hungary, on the other hand, could yield a medal.
In four months’ time, the Asian Games begin in Jakarta. It would be too much to expect her to finish with a medal as 23 of the top 25 women’s players will be competing. But wherever she finishes, Asian Games will be great experience. However, by the time Tokyo Olympics come around, Manika will be 24 and at the rate she is maturing and improving, it will not be a surprise if she becomes a medal contender.