Tokyo 2020 Paralympics
Like Manika Batra, Bhavina Patel's secret also lies in her long pimple rubber
There is one striking similarity in the gameplay of India's two table tennis stars - Bhavina Patel and Manika Batra.
Manika Batra and Bhavina Patel
The Indian para-table tennis star Bhavina Patel scripted history today when she became the first Indian to win a medal in ping pong at the Paralympics. The 34-year-old defeated the reigning Olympic Champion Borislava Peric of Serbia 3-0 in straight games in the quarterfinal to assure India of a medal, since all the semifinalists in para-table tennis are assured of at least a bronze as per the rules.
While the entire country is coming to terms with how big Bhavina Patel's achievement is, something else stood out for table tennis fanatics.
What? Well, the long pimple rubber on the backhand of her racquet.
This long pimple rubber is exactly what the able-bodied table tennis star from the country Manika Batra uses to trick her opponents at the highest level.
What is the Long Pimpled Rubber?
Long Pimple Rubber is mainly used by those players who wait for their opponent to make some errors and steal off the points. Since the pips or rubber are a bit taller, it helps the player using them to reach the ball early which in turn helps them to push the ball faster and into the angles, they wish in.
Besides, it also helps in reversing the oncoming spin. Meaning that if the opponent hits a topspin, the return would be a backspin and vice versa. This is regardless of whether the player themselves try to reverse the spin or not, which in turn confuses the opponent as to which way the ball would turn after bouncing on the table.
