Manika Batra shocked the Table Tennis world with an unexpected tactical maneuver against Chinese superstar Wang Manyu at a recent tournament. Trailing 8-10 in the final set against the World No. 2, Batra pulled off a surprise grip switch, cleverly nicknamed the ‘Bhangra Twiddle’, to win the final point and the match.
The twiddle involves quickly rotating the paddle handle to change grips from backhand to forehand in the blink of an eye. Batra has spent over a decade mastering this tricky technique but rarely uses it in matches. Against Wang, she anticipated her opponent moving to exploit her backhand and pre-emptively flipped her grip, calmly placing the ball out of Wang’s reach with a subtle forehand block.
It was a calculating gamble from the Indian, as missing the shot would have leveled the scores going into a decider. Named after the indistinguishable twins from Alice in Wonderland, the twiddle perfectly describes Batra’s near-imperceptible quick grip change. Like the intricate wristwork in Bhangra dance moves, Batra executes the maneuver with delicate flick of her wrist.
This improbable victory over the highly-rated Wang has boosted Batra’s chances of success at the Olympics. With her technical skills, competitive edge and surprise weapons like the ‘Bhangra Twiddle’, the Indian is poised for table tennis glory on sport’s biggest stage.
