Perhaps we like to believe that sport is the greatest leveller. A space for any and everyone to be viewed equally and wholly. But those who control sport definitely don’t. And unfortunately for Anaya Bangar, those who participate in sport have also viewed her differently. Anaya (formerly Aryan), the daughter of former Indian cricketer and batting coach Sanjay Bangar, was thrust into the spotlight a couple of months back, after she shared her tale of transitioning and journey in cricket: one that came to an unfortunate end. She had talked about undergoing gender-affirming surgery and how the life-changing procedure led to many a challenge and changes across all facets of her life, including her cricket career. Now, in an interview with Lallantop, Anaya also revealed the ugly reality that trans-women face in society, speaking out about the harassment she faced from certain cricketers, those who represent the so-called ‘gentleman’s game’ — from being sent unwarranted nude pictures to requests for sex. When asked about the support she received from fellow cricketers following her gender reaffirmation surgery, Anaya said, “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 added. She then also recalled a specific person, who used to indulge in verbal abuse. “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.” Anaya then also revealed a disturbing incident where, upon opening up about herself, a veteran cricketer requested to have sex with her. “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,'” Anaya stated. Anaya’s experiences highlight the fundamental and seemingly unending struggle that transgender people face in society. And when someone such as Anaya turn to sport to provide them a level playing field, it seems as if those in power are not ready to allow the sport to embrace them. Just like Bangar, Anaya is also a cricketer who has represented Islam Gymkhana in local club cricket. Apart from this, the left-handed batter has also played for the Hinckley Cricket Club in Leicestershire. But, the unfortunate reality for Anaya and many other transgender women who yearn to build a professional career is that the ICC and ECB have both deemed it unfair to allow them to partake in women’s cricket. The ICC, in November 2023, announced that any player who has transitioned from male to female and has been through any form of male puberty will not be allowed to participate in women’s international cricket, regardless of any surgery or gender reassignment treatment they may have undertaken. And even more recently, the ECB followed suit, banning transgender women from playing at the elite level of women’s domestic cricket from 2025. Anaya, who is painfully aware of the realities, had also earlier posted about the same on her Instagram, sharing her grievances over the unfair nature of the ruling. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Anaya Bangar (@anayabangar) With policies concerning the legal age for transitioning and sporting bodies’ rulings not aligning, there exist far too many obstacles that need to be addressed effectively. For the reality is that it’s the systems in place and the bodies in power that seem to view people differently, but never the game itself.