Anaya Bangar, the child of former Indian all-rounder Sanjay Bangar in an interview shared her experience of undergoing hormone replacement therapy, while also shedding light on the darker side of the cricketing world.
Durign an interview with Lallantop, Anaya revealed the challenges she faced, including harassment and toxic behavior from within the cricket community. When asked about the kind of harassment she encountered, she said, "There have been a few cricketers who randomly sent me nude pictures of them."
Anaya further recalled disturbing encounters with certain individuals in the cricket world "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. In another instance, when I was in India, I told a veteran cricketer about my situation. He told me let's go in the car. I want to sleep with you."
Despite growing up under the shadow of a high-profile cricketing parent, Anaya said she had to hide her identity due to the conservative environment of the sport. She added, "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."
Anaya Bangar about mascunality in the cricket world
Speaking about the hypermasculine nature of the sport, Anaya said, "I have played with some well-known cricketers like Musheer Khan, Sarfaraz Khan, and 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."
