World
India
Anaya Bangar, daughter of former India allrounder Sanjay Bangar, recently shared a nostalgic and emotional moment with long-time friend Sarfaraz Khan.
The two grew up playing cricket together, and Anaya spent time with Sarfaraz’s family during a heartwarming reunion. She also posted endearing pictures and a video of Sarfaraz’s little daughter, Romana Zahoor, on social media.
“We held bats before we held phones. Friends since the beginning,” she captioned the post. Anaya also added, “Missed you @musheerkhan.97” — a shoutout to Sarfaraz’s younger brother, Musheer, who is currently with the Punjab Kings for IPL 2025.
Advertisement · Scroll to continueView this post on Instagram
Reflecting on a Career Cut Short
Anaya, once deeply immersed in cricket, recently opened up about the emotional and professional challenges she faced during her transition.
“My father was just stating the fact that there’s no place for me in cricket. So, I knew I had to take a stand for myself,” she shared in an interview with Lallantop.
The weight of societal attitudes pushed Anaya into a dark mental space.
“I dealt with suicidal thoughts as a result, because I felt that the entire world was against me,” she said.
Although her family supported her decision, the larger system did not.
“It’s horrible that the decision I took (hormone therapy to transition), for my well-being and identity, has left me with no space in this system. Even basic opportunities and rights are denied. I still had space for myself from the family point of view. But it wasn’t there in society, cricket or the exterior world,” she added.
Facing Harassment in the Cricket World
Anaya also spoke out about the disturbing experiences she had with individuals from the cricketing community.
“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 then used to come and sit beside me and ask for my photos,” she said.
In another shocking revelation, she recalled an incident involving a former cricketer.
“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 recounted.
ALSO READ: Yuvraj Singh’s Mom Reveals Shocking Truth About Shubman Gill and Abhishek Sharma’s Fear
