Ex-Indian cricketer’s child posts journey of becoming transwoman

Former Indian cricketer Sanjay Bangar’s son Aryan Bangar (now addressed as Anaya Bangar), shared their transformative journey of embracing his ‘true self’.

Aryan, a trans woman, underwent Hormone Replacement Therapy recently and shared their 10-month-old transformative journey of ’embracing her true self’ calling it the ‘greatest victory of all’.  

Sharing their transformative experience on the social media platform Instagram, Aryan shared pictures of Indian cricket captains MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli. The images now stand deleted.

Before becoming Anaya, Aryan, a left-handed batter, was banned from playing cricket by the England and Wales Cricket Board on October 20. They had been playing for Hinckley Cricket Club in Leicestershire before the surgery.

They shared how the Hormone Replacement Therapy brought changes in her body. “As a trans woman on HRT, my body changed drastically. I’ve been losing the muscle mass, strength, muscle memory and athletic abilities I once relied on. The game I’ve loved for so long is slipping away from me.”

Anaya, who now lives in Manchester in the UK, shared her grief about giving up the sport to embrace her identity and gender on a different Instagram post.

“From a young age cricket has always been a part of my life Growing up I watched my dad with awe as he represented and coached the country and it wasn’t long before I started dreaming about following in his footsteps The passion the discipline and the dedication he showed to the sport were deeply inspiring to me Cricket became my love my ambition and my future I’ve spent my entire life honing my skills hoping that one day I would get the chance to represent my country just like him,” Anaya said in her post.

Now living the life of Anaya Bangar, they advocate embracing one’s true gender identity openly and confidently, despite societal pressures.

“Embracing my true self meant making hard choices, letting go of the comfort of fitting in, and standing up for who I am, even when it wasn’t easy. Today, I’m proud to be a part of the sport I love at any level or category ,not only as an athlete but as my authentic self. The road hasn’t been easy, but finding my true self has been the greatest victory of all.”