NEW DELHI: Anaya Bangar, daughter of former India cricketer and coach Sanjay Bangar, has spoken out about the toxic masculinity that continues to plague the cricketing world. In a candid interview, Anaya revealed disturbing experiences she has faced within the cricketing circle, including receiving nude photos from cricketers, verbal abuse, and being propositioned by a former player.
Anaya, who publicly came out last year and shared her journey of transformation through hormone replacement therapy and gender-affirming surgery, was formerly known as Aryan. She followed in her father’s footsteps, playing age-group cricket in India. However, she said the journey after transitioning came with many challenges.
“There has been support and there have been some harassment as well,” Anaya said during an interview with Lallantop, reflecting on her journey.
When asked how fellow cricketers responded after her gender-affirming surgery, Anaya said: “There have been a few cricketers who randomly sent me nude pictures of them.”
She also shared more distressing 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.”
Having played alongside prominent Indian cricketers like Musheer Khan, Sarfaraz Khan, and Yashasvi Jaiswal during her early years, Anaya said she was forced to keep her identity hidden because of her father’s public profile.
“I had to maintain secrecy about myself because dad is a well known figure. Cricket world is filled with insecurity and toxic masculinity,” she added.
Anaya has represented Islam Gymkhana in Mumbai’s club circuit and also played for Hinckley Cricket Club in Leicestershire, UK.
However, her cricketing ambitions faced a major setback in November 2023, when the International Cricket Council (ICC) introduced a new policy barring transgender women from participating in international women’s 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.
Anaya responded to the policy with a detailed post on Instagram, expressing her disappointment with the decision.
She currently resides in the United Kingdom.
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