NEW DELHI: Anaya Bangar, daughter of former Indian cricketer and coach Sanjay Bangar, recently opened up about the “toxic masculinity” that continues to pervade the cricketing world. Last year, she spoke publicly for the first time about her journey of transformation, which included hormone replacement therapy and gender-affirming surgery. Formerly known as Aryan, Anaya had followed in her father’s footsteps by playing age-group cricket. However, she admitted that continuing her cricketing career after transitioning came with numerous challenges.
In an interview with Lallantop, Anaya was asked, “When do you get to realise that ‘I am in the wrong chosen gender?'”
She responded: “For me it was when I was eight or nine years old, I used to pick clothes from my mom’s cupboard and wear them. Then, I used to look into the mirror and say, ‘I am a girl. I want to be a girl.'”
Reflecting on her cricketing journey, Anaya said: “I played with some well known cricketers now like Musheer Khan, Sarfaraz Khan, Yashasvi Jaiswal. I had to maintain secrecy about myself because dad is a well known figure. Cricket world is filled with insecurity and toxic masculinity.”
She was also asked how fellow cricketers reacted after her gender-affirmation surgery.
“There has been support and there have been some harassment as well,” Anaya shared.
When asked about the kind of harassment she faced, Anaya revealed: “There have been a few cricketers who randomly sent me nude pictures of them.”
She went on to recount further troubling experiences: “The person used to give gaalis in front of everybody. The same person then used to come and sit beside me and ask for my photos. There was another instance, when I was in India, I told a puraane (veteran) cricketer about my situation. He told me let’s go in the car, I want to sleep with you.”
Just like her father, who represented India in 12 Tests and 15 ODIs between 2001 and 2004, Anaya also played cricket. She has played for Islam Gymkhana in local club cricket and has also represented Hinckley Cricket Club in Leicestershire.
However, in November 2023, the International Cricket Council (ICC) announced a new policy barring transgender athletes from participating in women’s international cricket.
“Inclusivity is incredibly important to us as a sport, but our priority was to protect the integrity of the international women’s game and the safety of players,” then-ICC CEO Geoff Allardice had said in a statement.
Reacting to the decision, Anaya shared a detailed post on Instagram, expressing her disappointment over the new rule.
She currently resides in the United Kingdom.
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