A self-confessed M.S. Dhoni fan, 17-year-old compound archer Prithika Pradeep is inspired by the cricket legend’s calmness as she prepares for her Asian Games debut.

A World youth silver medallist and World Cup Stage silver medallist in 2025, Prithika made her mark by topping the Asiad selection trials and then securing individual bronze and team silver at the World Cup Stage-4 in Madrid this year.

The Nagercoil-born Prithika, who was brought up in Pune and took to archery as a hobby because she liked the name of the sport, is sharpening her skills along with experienced team-mates V. Jyothi Surekha and Chikitha Taniparthi at the Sonipat camp.

“After winning the Madrid medals, I have gained in confidence. But now that is over. I have to focus on the Asian Games. Here, I get to learn by training with the seniors. They share their experience. Jyothi didi tells me to stay calm and give my best without taking pressure,” Prithika told The Hindu.

Pursuing a sport that demands composure, Prithika idolises ‘Captain Cool’ Dhoni. “My favourite is M.S. Dhoni. I admire him a lot. Novak Djokovic is also my favourite. But I like Dhoni’s mindset, calmness and quick decision-making. I read a lot of books on him.”

Prithika said last year’s inaugural Archery Premier League, where archers got 15 seconds instead of 20 to shoot an arrow, also helped her. “It gave me confidence. I enjoyed it. Exposure to foreign archers was also beneficial as they shared their experience.”

While fine-tuning her individual game, Prithika — going through the routine of meditation, warm-up, training, playing matches and gym work — is giving equal attention to teamwork. “We also train for team events — both women’s and mixed team, as we pair up with different male archers,” she said.

Jyothi Surekha has been a picture of consistency since picking up the bow and arrow. With 93 medals to her name – including five from the Asian Games – the 29-year-old is now preparing to add to that tally at this year’s edition of the quadrennial event in Japan.

Surekha emerged on top at the selection trials held at the Sports Authority of India’s National Centre of Excellence in Sonipat, Haryana, while several prominent names, including Atanu Das, Ojas Pravin Deotale and Deepika Kumari, failed to qualify.

The compound archer began her World Cup run with gold in the women’s team event in Mexico but a rare off day saw a quarterfinal exit in Shanghai. She admitted that the quick turnaround between Stage 2 of the Archery World Cup and the trials in Sonipat, in addition to challenging conditions made preparation difficult.

“There was a lot of heat. There wasn’t much wind initially, but by the round-robin stage, which is very important, it became very windy,” she told The Hindu.

While pleased with her selection, Surekha is equally excited about guiding a young compound women’s team featuring 21-year-old Chikitha Taniparthi and 17-year-old Prithika Pradeep at the Asian Games.

“I’m just two months away from turning 30,” she reiterated, with a laugh.

“Even though I was happy to qualify, I was a little surprised too because some big names missed out, not just in compound women, but overall. But what’s done is done. The team has been selected, and now we have to work together and make sure things go well for us.”

There were barely any celebrations at home in Vijayawada. “Everything was normal at home. Maybe we’ll celebrate after winning the Asian Games.”

For now, Surekha’s immediate focus remains on Stages 3 and 4 of the Archery World Cup in Antalya and Madrid, respectively.