Manika Batra's new backhand rubber Re: Rumours going around....

[Slip Spin]

on Saturday February 21 , 2026 at at 4:56 AM #1
Rumours going around-- Manika Batra abandoned Tibhar pips for the Yinhe product.

https://item.taobao.com/item.htm?id=1019652101411

on Saturday February 21 , 2026 at at 11:02 AM #2
Makes sense Tibhar Grass DTecs are trash compared vs Yinhe long pips.

Someone has been asking Manika Batra for more than 5 years now to abandon Tibhar & Butterfly and start her own company to make smart blades & actual long pips.
But I also understand that Maniak is in a tough situation. If she want to play in ITTF tournaments she has no choice but to use ITTF slim pips .

But rubber is a different issue. I could never understand why she is using a dumb blade from Butterfly .
Viscaria is not a bad blade but only for dumb racket user who use spinny inverted both side. It is not meant for players like Manika

Regardless of what pips she uses Dtec or VVIP or whatever, she (and other 700 million Indian women and 1000s of Indian men who blindly follow her) needs a smart blade with a different layer composition on her backhand

[merlin el mago]

You need to understand that Manika don't play classic defense far from the table, she plays close to the table defense so a smart blade (big blade) no make sense because a big blade is worse to play inside or close to the table style.

About a blade with a different layer of on her backhand is all relative about the rest of blade composition, so not exist a blade totally different in both sides.

About slim pips I also disagree, because are very good for classical defense far from the table but not the best choice to play close to the table.

Different way to defense needs different equipment because the game isn't the same.

I still think is a very good change for Manika to improve like Sabine changing the inverted for Anti in her backhand.

[Slip Spin]

You need to understand that Manika don't play classic defense far from the table,

I am fully aware of that

[James Z]

she plays close to the table defense so a smart blade (big blade) no make sense because a big blade is worse to play inside or close to the table style.

Thanks for bringing up this issue because it needs clear clarification
First all a blade does not have to be the biggest to be a smart blade as for a chopper
As long as the layer compositions of both sides are different enough it qualifies as a smart blade. Size does not matter ( Famous double talk saying )
A dumb blade like Butterfly Viscaria has identical layer composition both sides. As far as I know I am not aware of any smart blades from Butterfly or Stiga.

Secondly size does matter for various playing styles. I do not think slip spin remotely suggested every (or even any) close to the table block and loop player like Manika Batra (or her 700 million Indian clones who follow her sheepishly) or a block and smash type players (almost all are penholders such as Ni Xialian or Zhou Xintong or Shan Xiaona with wide pips with sponge rubber on one side and not spinny inverted rubber)and OX slim pips on the other side) should be using the oversized blade that the lady GOAT Angelica Rozeanu used.

Third on the other hand all I am saying (I do not know about slip spin) is that a shasehander like Manika Batra (or her clones) should not be using a standard sized blades such as Butterfly Viscaria. While it does not have to be the size of the blade used by the lady GOAT Angelica Rozeanu (who was not a blocker but an away from table chop based all round player) it would help it it was slightly larger than Viscaria.

Actually I think Sanwei copied Viscaria and but made it a smart blade (it is not the olde Two face model born again.....something else ...I will post model name later0 but it is also useless because it is too small .
Also it should be ok for block and smash penhold players like Ni Xialian or Zhou Xintong or Shan Xiaona to use a smaller blades like Sanwei two face (the penhold version)

BTW we got side tracked a little I think because we started with a discussion about Manika Batra's rubber and not blade. I will post on this separately

[James Z]

About slim pips I also disagree, because are very good for classical defense far from the table but not the best choice to play close to the table.

So are you saying that I was wasting my time (as a high level away from the table chopper who was competing between 1990 and 2000) battling the ITTF for the past 26 years about pip length , aspect ratio and pip density ?

Pip length , aspect ratio and pip density are much much more important for an away from the table chopper because when ITTF made those 3 changes i 1977, 1998 and 2004 they severely limited away from the table choppers lot more than at the tale blockers.

Yes slight higher pip length and aspect ratio will also help at the table blockers but not as much as it would help away from the table choppers.

So I am beginning to wonder if you even understand the difference between ITTF slim pips & non-ITTF actual long pips.
Actual non-ITTF long pips are longer than 2.05 mm (ITTF limit) , have an Aspect Ratio more than 1.1 (the ITTF limit
As far as pip density goes, the pip density reduction change of 2004 it does not effect at the table choppers but also severely effects away from the table choppers. Actually for the the table blocking a lower pips density may be better.
Yes , pip friction though somewhat important to away from the table choppers , it is far more important to at the table choppers. This is why the frictionless pips ban of 2008 severely effected the at the table blocker.

The difference in back spin produced by ITTF slim pips (due to lower pip length & lower aspect ratio) is horrible compared to actual long pips (the ideal actual long pips should be at least 2.5 mm long (ideally 2.7 mm) and aspect ratio should be not less than 1.5

So to summarize , yes ITTF slim are bad for at the blockers also but far worse for away from the table choppers
Also for different reasons . At the table blockers were somewhat effected by 1977 pip length change, 1998 aspect ratio reduction & the big ball changes of 2000 & 2104 but not by 2004 pip density change change. They were most effected by the 2008 frictionless pips ban.
On the other hand away from table choppers were least affected by the 2008 frictionless pips change but were severely effected by the 1977, 1998 , 2000 , 2004 and 2014 changes

Below are (click link >) 14 rule and regulation changes since 1977 by the ITTF to severely limit the choppers in the current 40+ mm plastic ball only era

[James Z]

Not only just the amount of back spin & spin reversal alone created by the non-ITTF actual long pips (with 1. higher pip length 2. higher aspect ratio 3. higher pip density) is much higher than ITTF slim pips ,
the (click link >) spin contrast of back spin against the top spin created by the spinny inverted rubber on the other side of the racket, is far superior with actual long pips.

In fact if you are a block and smash type player using frictionless non-ITTF wide pips on forehand and a high friction actual OX long pips on the backhand , the spin contrast is so much better compared to using ITTF wid epips & ITTF slim pips

Thus the (click link >) spin contrast is also a major factor

[Quent]

https://item.taobao.com/item.htm?id=1019652101411

Is her new rubber listed in above link?
I cannot open.

taobao.com sucks. They made it extremely difficult even to view their website.
Makes no sense at all

[Hasan EC]

https://item.taobao.com/item.htm?id=1019652101411

Is her new rubber listed in above link?
I cannot open.

taobao.com sucks. They made it extremely difficult even to view their website.
Makes no sense at all

taobao.com does not work in outside countries I think.
You have to use a buy agent.
cssbuy is the one that worked
cssbuy

The rubber is VVIP

[Hasan EC]

Below are ITTF approval details

[Roberto^]

I saw this Ali Express

Click here to view VVIP rubber on Ali express

[driverbeat]

The Ali Express web page above shows both cured and uncured versions.
Are both versions ITTF approved?

[merlin el mago]

About slim pips I also disagree, because are very good for classical defense far from the table but not the best choice to play close to the table.

So are you saying that I was wasting my time (as a high level away from the table chopper who was competing between 1990 and 2000) battling the ITTF for the past 26 years about pip length , aspect ratio and pip density ?

Pip length , aspect ratio and pip density are much much more important for an away from the table chopper because when ITTF made those 3 changes i 1977, 1998 and 2004 they severely limited away from the table choppers lot more than at the tale blockers.

Yes slight higher pip length and aspect ratio will also help at the table blockers but not as much as it would help away from the table choppers.

So I am beginning to wonder if you even understand the difference between ITTF slim pips & non-ITTF actual long pips.
Actual non-ITTF long pips are longer than 2.05 mm (ITTF limit) , have an Aspect Ratio more than 1.1 (the ITTF limit
As far as pip density goes, the pip density reduction change of 2004 it does not effect at the table choppers but also severely effects away from the table choppers. Actually for the the table blocking a lower pips density may be better.
Yes , pip friction though somewhat important to away from the table choppers , it is far more important to at the table choppers. This is why the frictionless pips ban of 2008 severely effected the at the table blocker.

The difference in back spin produced by ITTF slim pips (due to lower pip length & lower aspect ratio) is horrible compared to actual long pips (the ideal actual long pips should be at least 2.5 mm long (ideally 2.7 mm) and aspect ratio should be not less than 1.5

So to summarize , yes ITTF slim are bad for at the blockers also but far worse for away from the table choppers
Also for different reasons . At the table blockers were somewhat effected by 1977 pip length change, 1998 aspect ratio reduction & the big ball changes of 2000 & 2104 but not by 2004 pip density change change. They were most effected by the 2008 frictionless pips ban.
On the other hand away from table choppers were least affected by the 2008 frictionless pips change but were severely effected by the 1977, 1998 , 2000 , 2004 and 2014 changes

Below are (click link >) 14 rule and regulation changes since 1977 by the ITTF to severely limit the choppers in the current 40+ mm plastic ball only era

Yes, you are wasting your time if you use slim pips & big blades if you play close to the table as chop-blocker or blocker style, this I'm very sure because I tried and can confirm it's true.

Aspect-ratio it's important also to play close to the table because increase reversal, as increasing reversal I also can assure you is better for classical defense here I'm sure because I tried and checked the differences: high aspect ratio playing classical defense after maximum 2-3 balls the ball not come back to me if I do a proper chop (well situated and well angling stroke to the ball) no matter what's the level high or low of the opponent but to do that you need grip: more for less advanced players and more or less (changing the stroke to more or less grip) for skilled players, that's only possible using LP with grip.

My point of view is if you are a classical defender playing far from the table you need grip to manipulate the backspin more or less to fake and disrupt the opponent, a not slow blade and a bigger blade to increase the sweep spot is better

You need to differenciate the needs for a clocker and cho-blocker vs a classical defender, very different styles that each one requires differents equipment.

Close to the table better frictionless or the minimum to be an ITTF approved rubber if you want to compete.

As I see the trick for slim long pips to play far from the table is if are hard or flex, better go to slim pips with a lot of flex and the maximum high allowed to ITTF if you want to compete.

I agree with you that the frictionless ban affected a lot of more to the block & chop-blockers players close to the table than a classical defender because like I said for classical defender it's better to play with grip long pips & slim flex pips & high aspect-ratio & bigger blades to increase the sweep spot.

Think about all I write here and you will see make sense.

[merlin el mago]

Not only just the amount of back spin & spin reversal alone created by the non-ITTF actual long pips (with 1. higher pip length 2. higher aspect ratio 3. higher pip density) is much higher than ITTF slim pips ,
the (click link >) spin contrast of back spin against the top spin created by the spinny inverted rubber on the other side of the racket, is far superior with actual long pips.

In fact if you are a block and smash type player using frictionless non-ITTF wide pips on forehand and a high friction actual OX long pips on the backhand , the spin contrast is so much better compared to using ITTF wid epips & ITTF slim pips

Thus the (click link >) spin contrast is also a major factor

I agree ITTF approved long pips are bad for defense be classical or close to the table en each case for different reasons.

If you are a classical defender you can't rely if the opponent made more or less topspin to have more or less reversal with your strokes, you need grip to manipulate the backspin more or less otherwise you are giving more chances to the attacking inverted rubber, mean that table tennis one of the best gear is the variation: spin, power & placement, not only playing: it's very important starting with the serve & rest....

[merlin el mago]

The Ali Express web page above shows both cured and uncured versions.
Are both versions ITTF approved?

Cured not ITTF approved of course.

[merlin el mago]

I saw this Ali Express

Click here to view VVIP rubber on Ali express

I just ordered a red one to try & rapport here.

[Fanii]

The Ali Express web page above shows both cured and uncured versions.
Are both versions ITTF approved?

Cured not ITTF approved of course.

Sure
But how can an umpire tell the difference ?
Is there some identifying letter on the logo etc ?

That is the only way to OFFICIALLY tell because all these fake friction test gadgets by some clowns in China or super pips haters like IgorPonger are not officially ITTF approved . These clowns in China & the likes of IgorPonger have been pushing these tools to harass pips players.

[merlin el mago]

It's very easy to test friction: simple brush a ball with only two fingers, if rotates have grip if not rotates are frictionless...

[zloop]

I fully understand Manika Batra & her Indian clones cannot use actual non ITTF long pips in ITTF tournaments
But that is an entirely separate issue from her and her clones not using a (click link >) smart blade
Use of smart blades is fully approved in all ITTF tournaments.

Just to be clear a smart blade does not have to be an Click link oversized (at least both 170 mm in width and length) blade.
A smart blade can be any size blade. I realize it will be smaller for at the table players.
As long as the layer composition is different on both sides it qualifies as a smart blade and best for playing all spin diversity table tennis
Dumb blades with identical layer composition are only suitable ITTF's top spin only Olympic table tennis , if you are into that sort of delusions

[Conxita]

Has anyone even looked into the fact that this may not even be true?
Manika Batra may not even have switched

It is possible that IgorPonger is spreading his usual false rumors against pips players

[Sohana]

Now I am hearing that she is using some new Australian slim pips called Radak D1

Available on Ali Express