Can Manika Batra make India proud at Tokyo Olympics?

Manika Batra is undoubtedly the poster girl for Indian table tennis. Ever since she won the Commonwealth Games gold in 2018, Batra has been considered the woman who can change the fortunes of Indian table tennis for the better.

The question now is - can she really change it?

Indian table tennis has so far excelled only at the Commonwealth Games

In India, table tennis is more or less viewed as a sport for the elite. Even then, India has made the world take notice of its abilities in the sport.

Since the Seoul Olympics in 1988, Indian paddlers have taken part in every edition of Olympic table tennis, even though they have hardly progressed beyond the second round.

India is not a pushover in table tennis though it has the capability. However, Indian players have never used it completely to their advantage. They have mostly shown their prowess at the Commonwealth Games, where they have won a bevy of medals since 2002.

What makes Manika Batra different?

Manika Batra

As of now, aside from Achanta Sharath Kamal and Sathiyan Gnanasekaran, there are currently no Indian players who have made a mark of their own in singles. However, Manika Batra is in another class altogether. She became the first Indian female player to have won an individual gold medal at the 2018 Commonwealth Games.

She also won a team gold medal and a silver medal in women's doubles. Not content with that, Batra further teamed up with Achanta Sharath Kamal to win a historic bronze medal at the Jakarta Asian Games.

Can Manika Batra be India's Saina Nehwal in table tennis?

Can Manika Batra be for Indian table tennis what Saina Nehwal became for Indian badminton? Could she be the much-needed trendsetter?

Even if it may look unlikely now, it's not entirely impossible.

The biggest advantage Manika Batra has with her right now is that nobody expects much from her. As such, she can play without fear and the pressure of expectations. The 25-year-old can thus put all her focus on reaching the ultimate goal.

Manika Batra has already scripted history at the Commonwealth and the Asian Games, where the best in the world fight for ultimate glory. As such, she has the potential to create history at the Tokyo Olympics and make India proud.

Whether Batra can remain calm on the biggest stage and manage to replicate her Commonwealth Games gold-winning efforts remains to be seen.