Anaya Bangar, the daughter of former Indian cricketer and coach Sanjay Bangar, recently spoke out about the harassment she received from other players after transitioning from male to female.

Last year, she spoke publicly for the first time about her makeover, which included hormone replacement medication and gender-affirming surgery.

Anaya, formerly known as Aryan, had followed in her father's footsteps by participating in age-group cricket matches. However, she acknowledged that continuing her cricket career after transitioning presented significant hurdles.

In an interview with Lallantop, Anaya was asked, "When do you get to realise that 'I am in the wrong chosen gender?'"

"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,” she responded.

Reflecting on her cricketing journey, Anaya said: "I played with some well-known cricketers now like Musheer Khan, Sarfaraz Khan, Yashasvi Jaiswal. I had to maintain secrecy about myself because my dad is a well-known figure. Cricket world is filled with insecurity and toxic masculinity."

She was also asked how fellow cricketers reacted after her gender-affirmation surgery. She revealed that some cricketers sent her nude photos as she faced harassment.

"There has been support, and there have been some harassments as well. There have been a few cricketers who randomly sent me nude pictures of them.

The person used to give gaalis in front of everybody. The same person would 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,” she shared.

Anaya also played cricket like her father, Sanjay Bangar, who played 12 Tests and 15 ODIs between 2001 and 2004 for India. She has played for Islam Gymkhana in local club cricket and has also represented Hinckley Cricket Club in Leicestershire.

However, in November 2023, the International Cricket Council (ICC) announced a new policy barring transgender athletes from participating in women's international cricket.