Right from the start, Anaya’s path has not been simple. The ‘toxic masculinity’ in cricket was exposed by Anaya in a recent commentary.
Last year, Anaya Bangar, the kid of former Indian cricketer and coach Sanjay Bangar, talked about her transformational experience following gender-reaffirming surgery and hormone replacement therapy. Formerly known as Aryan, Anaya is an athlete who followed in Sanjay Bangar’s footsteps by playing age-group cricket. However, following the gender-reaffirming operation, Anaya disclosed that there were major obstacles to pursue a career in cricket. At the moment, Anaya resides in the UK.
From the start, Anaya’s path has not been simple. The ‘toxic masculinity’ in cricket was exposed by Anaya in a late interview.
One of the questions posed to Anaya in the interview with Lallantop was, “When do you get to realize that ‘I am in the wrong chosen gender?'”
“I used to choose clothing from my mom’s closet and put them on when I was eight or nine years old. After that, I would remark, “I am a girl,” as I looked into the mirror. “I’d like to be a girl,” Anaya declared.”I played alongside some of the current top cricket players, including Sarfaraz Khan, Yashasvi Jaiswal, and Musheer Khan. Dad is a well-known person, therefore I had to keep my identity a secret. The world of cricket is rife with toxic masculinity and insecurity.
After undergoing gender reaffirmation surgery, Anaya was then questioned about how her fellow cricket players responded. “There has been support and there have been some harassment as well,” Anaya stated.
The anchor questioned, “What kind of harassment?”
“There have been a few cricketers who randomly sent me nude pictures of them,” Anaya responded.After that, Anaya continued talking about someone who used to engage in verbal abuse. “The individual used to perform gaalis in front of everyone. Then, the same individual would request my pictures while sitting next to me. In another occasion, I explained my predicament to a puraane (experienced) cricket player while I was in India. He said, “I want to sleep with you, so let’s get in the car.”
Anaya, like Bangar, plays cricket and has played for Islam Gymkhana in local club matches. The left-handed batsman has additionally played for Leicestershire’s Hinckley Cricket Club.However, the International Cricket Council (ICC) declared in November 2023 that transgender athletes would not be permitted to play 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,” said Geoff Allardice, then-ICC CEO.
Anaya also posted a lengthy message on Instagram expressing her displeasure with the new ruling from the ICC.Currently residing in Manchester, Anaya (formerly Aryan) is quite active on Instagram and consistently updates her followers.
