When Anaya Bangar first approached the BCCI for assistance in becoming a part of India’s women’s cricket set-up, the response was silence.
In an interview with news agency PTI, Anaya says she hoped to become part of the Indian women’s cricket setup but was “served with silence” by the BCCI.
The 25-year-old trans-athlete eventually found support from Cricket Australia, which allowed her to compete at the community shield level, giving her a path back into the game she had feared she would never play again.
Anaya, whose father is former India allrounder Sanjay Bangar, opened up on the roller-coaster ride her life has been since the beginning of her transition in 2022, a process which culminated with a gender affirming surgery in March this year.
“…when you’re transitioning, and when you’re a trans-athlete, during this political climate in this world, it can get very isolating. You feel very lonely, you feel like there’s no one who really understands out there,” she told PTI.
“Everyone out there is trying to give you solutions, when you know that your own case is the right one. You know what is happening with you is injustice. So, during all of this, just the fact of being with myself, solitude has helped me a lot throughout all this,” the left-arm spin bowling all-rounder added.
Despite the scepticism and criticism surrounding her return to cricket, Anaya remains unruffled and believes some “education” is all it would take for people to come around.
“Right now, just hearing the news about Cricket Australia clearing me, and basically providing me a path to play women’s cricket, to play cricket as who I am is huge for me.”
Anaya had given up hope of ever playing the game. While she is grateful towards her family for the support it offered for “necessities”, she feels it was the universe that ultimately changed her circumstances for the better.
“To be honest, emotionally, it’s just been all by myself, but I’m grateful for the support for the necessities that I had from my family. I never thought that I’ll be able to get (to) play cricket ever since the day I started transitioning. I just tried to put myself out there and see what happens, and whatever works, works. And throughout all this, I think the universe has backed me a lot, and here we are,” she said.
