It all started in 2016 when Nagpal was nine years old and trying to pick a sport to play.
“From the minute I picked up a cricket bat, it just clicked with me,” she told SBS Hindi.
In the years since, Nagpal has made a name for herself as a medium-pace bowler at junior representative levels and even appeared in Cricket Victoria's ‘Watch Me Play, Watch Me Grow' campaign to encourage more girls to play the sport.
Highlights:
- Holly Nagpal was selected to represent the Under 15s Victorian team when she was 12 years old.
- She was recently selected in the Under 16s Female Emerging Players Program.
- She appeared in Cricket Victoria's 'Watch Me Play, Watch Me Grow' campaign to encourage girls to play cricket.
Born in Melbourne to Nick and Kusum Nagpal, the 14-year-old credits her passion for cricket to her Indian lineage.
My father was born in India, so the passion for cricket is natural. I have my father's genes as he too plays the game.
In 2016, she started to play at her brother Harrith's cricket club, Burnside-Springs United, where in her debut season she won both the coach’s award and the best player award.
The awards bolstered Nagpal's confidence to take her game to the next level.
"Winning the coach’s award motivated me and I felt I can make something out of this sport for myself," she said.
Holly Nagpal was born in Melbourne to an Indian-origin couple. Source: Supplied by Nick Nagpal
"I decided to pursue the game seriously and in my second season in 2017-18, I made my first representative team which was the Under 12s for the North West Metropolitan Cricket Association (NWMCA),” she shared.
Nagpal has consistently made her mark as a cricketer in the seasons since.
In the 2018-19 season, she was selected to represent Youth Premier League (YPL) Under 14s female for the Western Spirit as well as the Youth Super Series Under 14s with the Melbourne Renegades.
At the age of 12, she not only captained the Under 14 female YPL team but was also selected in the Victorian female team for the Under 15s and played the tournament in Canberra.
Holly Nagpal at her net sessions. Source: Supplied by Nick Nagpal
Rob Ward, the head coach for Western Spirit YPL, describes Nagpal as an all-rounder and one of the most valuable players on the team.
"Her professionalism and dedication towards the game are among the best we have seen in that age group," Ward exalted.
"Nagpal has already played premier league games with some current Big Bash contracted females like Elyse Villani which is an achievement at her age. It reflects her bright future," he told SBS Hindi.
Ward reckons more and more girls are now opting for cricket as a sport, especially from the Indian community.
Cricket Australia told SBS Hindi that 21 per cent of players enrolled across Victoria are from multicultural backgrounds and seven per cent of the players from South Asian backgrounds.
However, in the western suburbs of Melbourne, it estimates around 40 per cent of females would be from South Asian backgrounds.
Its latest official data indicates a rise in female participation in the last few years across the state.
As of 2020-21, over 10,900 females were enrolled with the local clubs across the state which stood at just over 5400 enrolled in 2016-17.
Nagpal recently received the Sunshine Western Region Sports Club's October Don Deeble Sports Star Award, an award given to recognise and financially assist emerging sports talents in the western suburbs.
While she closely follows Elyse Villani, Georgia Wareham and Molly Strano who play in the Women's Big Bash League (WBBL), Nagpal said she idolises the Australian cricketer Steve Smith and Indian cricketer Virat Kohli.
“I have looked up to Steve Smith ever since I started playing cricket. I love the way he carries his confidence on the field and how unique his batting is,” Nagpal, a student of Maribyrnong Sports Academy, said.
As a bowler, she boasts an impressive record. She took her first hat trick in the Under 14s team at Burnside Springs United.
Nagpal says cricket is all about having fun and making friends along the way.
"Cricket is a community-based sport so it suits my goal of making friends."
Nagpal is now looking forward to another great season with both bat and ball.
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