Anaya Bangar , child of former India cricketer Sanjay Bangar , has called for inclusivity in Indian cricket, months after receiving clearance to play elite cricket by Cricket Australia (CA) under its policy on transgender and gender-diverse players. Anaya, who is planning to move to Australia to resume her cricketing career after undergoing gender-affirming surgery, has urged the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to take a leaf out of CA’s playbook by introducing a pathway to enable transgender players to compete in women’s cricket.
They did a 12-week-long testing program with me regarding my body’s athletic capabilities after being on hormone replacement therapy for a year.
“If BCCI can follow what Australia has done, that would be a wonderful thing,” Anaya told Hindustan Times . On facing online abuse after undergoing gender-affirming surgery, Anaya added: “They haven’t experienced what I have”. Kapp said while tagging the official handle of the WBBL. That test concluded that my physical parameters fall within the cisgender female athlete range,” she said.
CA’s landmark verdict on transgender cricketers raised eyebrows, with South Africa all-rounder Marizanne Kapp criticising the decision. “Absolutely ridiculous, this should NOT be allowed! Without taking offence at Kapp’s comment, slamming CA’s decision, Anaya countered the Proteas star’s remarks, saying the path has been cleared only after undergoing extensive testing. “I think I understand the place where she’s coming from. To counter the point about the unfair advantage aspect: there has been testing done by the Manchester University Institute of Sport. Anaya also stressed that there’s scientific evidence that she wouldn’t have any unfair advantage when she returns to professional women’s cricket.
My testosterone levels are 0.6 nanomoles. Because of that, I have been experiencing bone density loss; I can literally feel my bones aching. Because not all trans women have an unfair advantage,” Anaya stressed, so, whenever rules and policies are set out there, I would say it needs to be on a case-by-case basis,.
“So, in terms of unfair advantage, I already have scientific evidence backing my case. On top of that, Cricket Australia has put out proper policies on inclusion, fairness, and maintaining the dignity of women’s sport. I am already complying with those guidelines. My body doesn’t produce testosterone anymore since I’ve had the surgery. I can feel my muscle mass reducing and my stamina levels decreasing. I can’t work out the same as I used to.
