Anaya also recounted the emotional toll of concealing her true gender identity during her time playing as Aryan
Anaya Bangar with father Sanjay, Anaya after gender transition (Pic: X/Anaya Bangar Instagram)
Anaya Bangar, the child of former India cricketer and ex-batting coach Sanjay Bangar, has made a startling revelation about her experiences in the cricketing world. Alleging that multiple cricketers sent her unsolicited 'nude photographs', Anaya shared the deeply troubling challenges she has faced.
In an exclusive conversation with Lallantop, Anaya recounted the hardships of her journey, especially after undergoing Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) for her gender transition. She spoke about the support she received, but also the harassment she endured during her transition, particularly from those within cricket.
“There has been support and there have been some harassment as well… There have been a few cricketers who randomly sent me nude pictures of them,” Anaya revealed during the interview. Previously known as Aryan, Anaya first captured public attention when she bravely opened up about her life after transitioning and began advocating for inclusivity within cricket.
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Yet, her most recent revelations shed light on the darker aspects of her journey, where she was subjected to inappropriate messages and harassment from cricketers.
Anaya also recounted the emotional toll of concealing her true gender identity during her time playing as Aryan. “I had to mask my identity to avoid complications,” she shared, highlighting the internal struggle she faced. She recalled sharing the field with cricketers namely Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sarfaraz Khan, and Musheer Khan, while grappling with the burden of hiding her true self.
However, the harassment wasn’t confined to digital platforms or indirect actions. She described verbal abuse from some senior and veteran cricketers, including one particularly troubling encounter. “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, and I told a puraane (veteran) cricketer about my situation. He told me, ‘Let’s go in the car, I want to sleep with you,’” she disclosed.
Notably, an ESPNcricinfo report from a few weeks ago highlighted a crucial decision by the International Cricket Council (ICC), which previously announced that players who have transitioned from male to female, or undergone gender-affirming surgery, would not be eligible to participate in women's international cricket.
Following which, Danielle McGahey, who had made history as the first-ever transgender player to compete at the international level, had to discontinue her career given ICC's revised gender eligibility rules.
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