Batra backs herself to attain legendary status

Dubai:

There’s a twinkle in her eye as she excitedly mumbles ‘Sachin Tendulkar’ when asked about her sporting hero.

At 20, and her maiden Olympic Games fast approaching, Manika Batra, one of India’s ace table tennis players, breaks into a generous heart-warming smile while mouthing the name of one of cricket’s modern-day legends.

“The closest I came to him [Tendulkar] is when he attended the Asian Junior Table Tennis [in Mumbai in 2014]. I saw him from a distance, but never got the opportunity to meet him,” Batra tells Gulf News on the sidelines of the recently-concluded ITTF Nakheel Asian Cup.

“But that near meeting has only made me have this yearning to meet him in person one day. Two years back I was young and shy and did not have the courage or the contacts to make a meeting with him [Tendulkar] possible. But now I feel I am something myself and I want this feeling to continue for a long, long time as one of India’s table tennis legends… pretty much like Sachin,” she adds.

It has been one long haul for the young woman from New Delhi since she started playing table tennis aged just five.

The past decade-and-a-half has witnessed an evolution of Batra that ultimately resulted in the young girl representing the nation for the first time in 2008. If that was the start of her career, Batra’s hard work and resolve have seen her assimilating a host of accolades, prominent among these being two silver and bronze medals each at the Commonwealth Championships, followed by a quarter-final at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in her city of birth, three gold medals at the South Asian Games (SAG) — and finally a historic spot as one of four paddlers to represent India at the Olympic Games in Rio.

“It’s an amazing feeling to pursue my dreams. The best thing is that I am under no pressure whatsoever as this is the first time at an Olympic Games for me. I want to just go there and enjoy the moment, and if all the hard work that I’ve put in results in a medal then so be it,” she says.

Distant dream

Realistically perhaps an Olympic medal for India in table tennis looks more like a distant dream, but not for someone who has shown tremendous resolve and purpose pursuing her goals and objectives. “A medal is what a sportsperson works for every time. One doesn’t just go to make the numbers, not at least I. I believe that if I play my best I can return with a medal from Rio,” she insists.

In Rio, Batra will be joined by Soumyajit Ghosh, Achanta Sharath Kamal and Mouma Das — making this the first time that India will have a full squad in table tennis at the Olympic Games.

Incidentally, just four years ago, Batra turned down a six-month scholarship to train and prepare for the Rio Olympics at the Peter Karlsson Academy in Sweden. “It’s not that I stopped playing or slowed down on my training. I have had no regrets for missing out on the scholarship as I have already achieved my goal of making it to the Olympic Games,” she smiles.

However, prior to Rio is a long path covering at least three months that need to be trod with optimum preparations for an event like an Olympic Games. “The plan at the moment is to participate in a few competitions such as the Croatia Open [May 24-28] and Slovenia Open [June 1-5] in Europe before heading off to Japan for an intense ten-day camp that will be followed by participation in the Japan Open [June 15-19],” she says.

Consistency in her performances has resulted in a steady climb in the world rankings. But for Batra this process needs to be hastened and the only way to do so is to keep the achievements going. “My world ranking is 134 at the moment, but I want to be in the top-20 as soon as I can. That’s the goal for me. I want to be a legend for my sport in India and throughout the world,” she says.

“Yes, I want to be well-known and famous just like Sachin. I want people to say ‘There was a legend called Manika Batra,” she insists.

Fact file

Name: Manika Batra

Age: 20

Date of birth: June 15, 1995

Height: 5.11ft

Weight: 67kgs

Residence: New Delhi

Highlights:

*Began playing at the age of 5

*Trains for eight hours a day

*Has turned down several modeling offers from India and international brands