Poonam Pandey to fulfil naked strip promise after India win World Cup
Model Poonam Pandey has vowed to stand by her promise of stripping naked - either in public or in private for the India cricket team - after Mahendra Singh Dhoni's men won the Cricket World Cup on home soil.
Model Poonam Pandey, who has now gone to Paris, showed her support for India in a more traditional way during the tournament (AFP)
Despite being inundated with threats over her titillating promise to pose in the nude if India triumphed on home soil, Miss Pandey has vowed to go ahead with her plan and perform wherever the Indian team decides.
It remains unclear if Poonam, 20, will take her clothes off in private for the team, or in a more public setting after writing to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to request to ‘perform in the privacy of the Indian cricket team’s dressing room or any other place of your choosing’.
In a statement prior to the final against Sri Lanka in Mumbai, which India won by six wickets, Miss Pandey put forward the French capital Paris as a possibility and showed defiance in the face of threats.
'If BCCI gives me the permission, I'll go ahead with my plans. Threats don't bother me,' she said.
The model urged the BCCI, if the Indian team requested a public showing, to choose ‘a foreign land like Paris in France, so that the laws of India - if a hindrance - shall not apply’.
Miss Pandey said her promise to the team was meant to have a 'therapeutic' effect for India's cricketers to encourage them to play better.
And she cited 'many studies conducted by various universities abroad' that show such offers 'boost and inspire people to perform better in any field, be it sports or otherwise'.
Her manager, Vipin M, has responded to critics since the final was played, saying she has already turned down several big-money offers to pose for magazines - which he claims shows her promise is not just a publicity stunt.
‘So far she has been flooded with many offers from India and worldwide - from Indian reality shows to international magazines,' he said.
'More than that, she got a huge $500,000 offer from an international magazine to pose nude for their cover, but she rejected it as the act to go nude was only meant for Team India to bring home the World Cup and not to make fame and money.
'She is on cloud nine as India won the cup.'
It remains unclear if Poonam, 20, will take her clothes off in private for the team, or in a more public setting after writing to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to request to ‘perform in the privacy of the Indian cricket team’s dressing room or any other place of your choosing’.
Poonam Pandey has her arm painted in support of India (AFP/Getty)
However, she has already said she would prefer to carry out a public performance outside her home country for fear of reprisals from the traditionally conservative Indian people. In a statement prior to the final against Sri Lanka in Mumbai, which India won by six wickets, Miss Pandey put forward the French capital Paris as a possibility and showed defiance in the face of threats.
'If BCCI gives me the permission, I'll go ahead with my plans. Threats don't bother me,' she said.
The model urged the BCCI, if the Indian team requested a public showing, to choose ‘a foreign land like Paris in France, so that the laws of India - if a hindrance - shall not apply’.
Miss Pandey said her promise to the team was meant to have a 'therapeutic' effect for India's cricketers to encourage them to play better.
And she cited 'many studies conducted by various universities abroad' that show such offers 'boost and inspire people to perform better in any field, be it sports or otherwise'.
Her manager, Vipin M, has responded to critics since the final was played, saying she has already turned down several big-money offers to pose for magazines - which he claims shows her promise is not just a publicity stunt.
‘So far she has been flooded with many offers from India and worldwide - from Indian reality shows to international magazines,' he said.
'More than that, she got a huge $500,000 offer from an international magazine to pose nude for their cover, but she rejected it as the act to go nude was only meant for Team India to bring home the World Cup and not to make fame and money.
'She is on cloud nine as India won the cup.'
The model has already posed provocatively to celebrate the Indian festival of ëHolií (AFP/Getty)
Read more: http://www.metro.co.uk/sport/oddballs/859829-poonam-pandey-to-fulfil-naked-strip-promise-after-india-win-world-cup#ixzz1In8hImT3