What Is Manika Batra’s Secret Move ‘Bhangra Twiddle’?

In May at the Saudi SMAASH tournament, Manika Batra executed a memorable move against Chinese player Wang Manyu, using a technique called “twiddling” during match point. With the score at 11-10 in her favor after trailing 8-10, Manika rotated her table tennis paddle to quickly switch grips from backhand to forehand. Although she’s been trained in this maneuver for 15 years, she rarely employs it and usually only for hard hits that are seldom effective.

Against the World No. 2, Wang Manyu, Manika predicted that Wang would anticipate a backhand and cleverly used the twiddle to place the ball on Wang’s forehand. This move was risky, as Chinese players are known for their strong counterplay. If Manika had missed, Wang could have leveled the score to 11-11, potentially leading to a deciding game.

The term “twiddle” is derived from Lewis Carroll’s ‘Alice in Wonderland’, referring to the slight grip change, similar to the near-indistinguishable twins Tweedledee and Tweedledum. It involves a subtle switch in grip by loosening the wrist, akin to a ‘Bhangra’ step with a table tennis paddle.

The defeat to Batra may have jeopardized Wang Manyu’s chances for an individual spot on the Chinese team, though she will still participate in team events.