Evolution of T20

Tak…Tak…Tak…Tak…those were sound of bat and ball impact. In test cricket when the wall Rahul Dravid was on pitch. Then master blaster Sachin Tendulkar playing his favourite shot  straight drive in one day match. Third one was Helicopter shot of Captain cool Mahendra Singh Dhoni in Twenty20. And the last one was from a bat of Sir Ravindra Jadeja in any format of cricket. From these four sounds you can imagine you can imagine on ground evolution of cricket. But today I’ve something more to share about evolution of Twenty 20 cricket format.

Well Twenty20 is one of the latest forms of the cricket game, with origin that can be traced back to the late 90s and beginning of 20^th century. A shortened format of cricket, meant to be played at the professional level, took birth in the form of an idea, which was discussed by ECB that is England Cricket Board in 1998 and then again, in 2001. So the discussion on Twenty20 cricket format started, when I was still confused between the spelling for word bowling whether it’s BALLLING or BOWLING. However, the idea started taking a concrete shape only in the year 2001. At that time, Benson & Hedges County Cup was coming to an end, Chairmen saw empty seats and felt the need for another one-day competition, as a replacement.

It was Stuart Robertson, the marketing manager of the ECB, who came up with the proposal for a 40-over game, with 20 overs per innings. He presented the concept formally in 2001, to the county chairmen. It seemed to be the best option to win back the interest of the younger generation and also the declining sponsorship.

After the proposal of Stuart Robertson formally presented, the ECB members voted and the votes were 11-7, 11 in favor and 7 against the new twenty 20 format. After Stuart's proposal was accepted, a media group was asked to think upon a suitable name for the game. Sooner, Twenty20 became the name of the new born cricket format, afterwards shortened to T20 cricket.

It has been claimed that a format similar to Twenty20 was conceived by Dr George Christos, a mathematician from Australia. He even claims that he presented it before the International Cricket Council and ECB in 1997. However, no credit was given to him when T20 was made public, as ICC dismissed his involvement in developing the final concept. The formal introduction of T20 Cricket took place in 2003, when ECB launched the Twenty20 County Cup, along with slogan "I don't like cricket, I love it".

The first Twenty20 International match between two men's sides was played on 17 February 2005, involving Australia and New Zealand.

Greg Chappell once said that when 50 over cricket stormed on to the scene in the 1970s, Test players struggled with the pace and pressure of the limited over games. Greg Chappel stated that cool heads in Test cricket, extracted from their comfort zone, became panicked to keep the scoreboard running too quickly in one day cricket. The same could be said with T20 cricket as players make the adjustment to a 20 over sprint, after being groomed for the last decade on an over-saturation of 50 over internationals.

Does anyone knows, When team India played it’s first T20 international and against whom?

The Indian cricket team played its first T20I match under the captaincy of Virender Sehwag at Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg, on 1 December 2006, against South Africa.

The short and crispy idea of T20 cricket started getting momentum in year 2008 when India won first twenty 20 cricket worldcup. There were 3 Historical moments happened in 2008 twenty 20 world up. 1. Super Over in India vs Pakistan match at group level 2. Yuvraj Singh’s 6 massive sixes to Stuart Broad, These sixes Yuvi’s reactions against the Andrew Flintoff’s sledging. 3. The Last over in the final aginst Pakistan by Joginder Sharma.

Then in year 2009 Lalit Modi, the ex- vice-president of the BCCI, and who modeled Indian Premier League along the lines of club football in Europe, specifically the English Premier League. Lalit Modi brought 1.5 billion dollars money  and planed 10 seasons. Lalit Modi made IPL Twenty20 a Hit and Run competition. I think that’s the reason why Salman Khan is afraid of owning any IPL team.

T20 currently involves less thinking and planning than the two longer forms of cricket, but what it does require is immediate responses because there is little margin for error. Every ball in T20 represents around one per cent of an innings. Team have just 120 moments, 120 balls, compared to 50-over cricket. So the key to T20 cricket is asking player to respond to the moment and win as many of the 120 moments per innings they can. Achieve this task and your chances of winning greatly improves.

For more updates on twenty20 cricket do watch T20 world-cup matches that has started on 11^th March 2016 on star cricket and live streaming on hotstar.com and enjoy this beautiful and fast paced T20 game.

Travelling On Postcards...

Khichik!!! Here I’m in Italy Mamma mia. Khichik!!! Here I’m in Japan, Hajimemashite!!! 

Khichik!!! Here I’m in Egypt,  Al Habibti !!! Khichik!!! Here I’m in Spain Gracias!!!

Well my evaluator will suggest me that my dear speaker you could have represented different countries by standing at different spots or places on stage. But, in this case it is not like that.

Yes, I’ve travelled 17 and more countries, ---but by sitting at my home. Khichik!!! Here I’m in my home. Do you want to know “How did I do that?” How have I travelled to these many places and met different people?? Well, It’s on postcards.

About one and half year ago my friend Sanket showed me the postcards that he is receiving from all around the world. I wondered, how is he getting them? and found out that he is signed up with Postcrossing.com  Immediately, I also signed up on Postcrossing and got instantly addicted, since I love stamps and receiving mails, REAL MAILS! 

***My Postcards***

At first sight it was all Greek to me, but soon I started getting familiar with the process. The process is very simple: you send a postcard to a random person in the world, and once they receive it and “register” it on the website, someone else receives your address and then you get a postcard!

In Postcrossing, you’ll receive postcards from 5-6 yrs to 70-80 yrs old postcrossers students, artists engineers, veterans and all. Postcrossing is not just a hobby to say but experience for lifetime.

Before moving ahead I’d like to ask one question, which is the music show that gets aired on every Sunday Morning at 8’clock on DD National channel? Yes, Rangoli. In that show, every time the host the Dreamgirl Hema Malini used to read letters from random people in “Aap Ki Farmaish” that is “your wish“ session. The funniest part of this session is the names of people from whom suggestion received:- Raju, Bhola, Bindi, Champa, Chameli, Munna, Munni, Jiju and all. Same kind of experience you’ll receive while reading the postcards. Though I'm not Hema Malini, :P I am going to read my first postcard that I’ve received,
This postcard is from Taiwan...

Just imagine, How will you feel? when you receive these kind of writings in every postcard.

So What are the Benefits of Postcrossing?

You’ll get to know about 

- culture and people, 

- lifestyle of different countries

- beautiful stamps

- Hand writings. 

- What other people think of India?

Writing a postcard with limitation on number of words will improve your writing skills and thinking to convey your message just in short paragraph. You’ll receive some awesome pictures of animals, city views, cartoons and sportspersons and many more. The pictures which are worth 1000 words. 

***Pictures Are Worth 1000 Words***

If you’re learning any foreign language you can make Pen Pals or Pen Friends of that country. After hectic day when you read and look at pictures of postcards that you’ve received, it will make you happy for sure. And it will also increase your oveseas network. 

Well before getting to the point, I’d like to ask How many of you have recently received any Email?--- almost all--- And Postcards or Letter?? ---Very Few Do you want to see your letter box happy? Then join Postcrossing. I bet, your letter box and you will be happy in receiving Postcards, instead of only Light bills or Phone bills or Brown-grey-white parcels.

10 yrs ago I was happy when I received Emails and feeling sad about receiving too many letters. But today I become sad, seeing alot of unnecessary Emails and happy when I see postcard in my Postbox.

I encourage you all to travel on postcards and send smiles over the miles. Keep your letter box happy.

Thank you & Happy Postcrossing!

Puzzling Facts About Puzzle

What is Puzzle?

Puzzle is something that makes us think.

In technical terms, a puzzle can be described as an activity that requires ingenuity and often persistence in solving or assembling.

In a puzzle, one is required to put pieces together, in a logical way, in order to arrive at the correct solution of the puzzle. There are different types of puzzles for different ages.

Puzzles are often devised as a form of entertainment but they can also arise from serious mathematical or logistical problems. In such cases, their solution may be a significant contribution to mathematical research.

All of us know this puzzle...Rubik’s Cube…

Let me tell you some puzzling facts about this 

Hungarian Horror..

Rubik’s Cube is a 3-D combination puzzle invented in 1974 by Hungarian sculptor and Professor of Architecture Ernő Rubik.

It took him One Month before he was able to solve the Cube for himself. He wanted a working model to explain 3-Dimensional Geometry.

The Rubik’s cube was first called the Magic cube but was renamed in 1980 for its global release.

Over 350 Million Rubik’s Cubes have been sold worldwide – making it the best selling puzzle of all time.

A normal cube has 21 pieces, consisting of one core, 8 corners, and 12 edges, and a total of 54 stickers.

There are different variations of Rubik's Cubes with up to seventeen layers: the 2×2×2 (Pocket/Mini Cube), the standard 3×3×3 cube, the 4×4×4 (Rubik's Revenge/Master Cube), and the 5×5×5 (Professor's Cube), the 6×6×6 (V-Cube 6), and 7×7×7 (V-Cube 7). 

There are 43 Quintillion that is 43 * 10¹⁸   ways to scramble a standard cube. 

How much is that?
If someone start scrambling for every permutation. And kept on each other, they could cover The Earth in 273 layers. 

273 layers of Rubik’s cube are approximate equal to height of Boeing Jumbo Jet.

Whether a Rubik's Cube fan was a self-solver, speed cuber, or "smasher", they had all become obsessed with the small, simple-looking puzzle.

During the height of its popularity, Rubik's Cubes could be found everywhere -- at school, on buses, in movie theaters, and even at work.

In 1983, Rubik's Cube even had its own television show, called Rubik, the Amazing Cube. 

The ability to solve a Rubik's Cube quickly is often used as a way of establishing a character's high intelligence. The pursuit of happiness, Dil Chahta Hai, My Name is Khan, 3 Idiots and many more.

Now The Amazing Records of solving this cube.

The best speedcubers (people who take part in speedcubing – a sport where competitors try and solve the cube as quickly as possible) can solve the cube in under 6.30 seconds.

The current world record for single time on a 3×3×3 Rubik's Cube was set by Mats Valk of the Netherlands in March 2013 with a time of 5.55 seconds at the Zonhoven Open in Belgium.

In April 2014, Antoine Cantin from Canada made  record of solving 3x3x3 cube one-handed  10.63 seconds.  

Our City, Pune also holds one record. On November 4, 2012, 3248 people, mainly students successfully solved the Rubik's cube in 30 minutes. The successful attempt is recorded in not only Limca Book of Records but also Guiness Book of Records. 

Why to solve puzzles?
Psychological study says that by solving or studying puzzles you experience many positive emotions like curiosity, joy, pride, surprise, wonder and creativity within short time. 

This nurtures our thinking.

And you never know, when you'll get chance to become officially amazing.So, Keep Solving, Enjoy it…

Someone Old, Something New

Hello everyone. I want to begin by thanking everyone for providing me with this opportunity to give introduction and break the ice.

Thus I am going to start journey of developing speaking skills. I have never done public speaking over long period . I wish to conquer speaking fear as well as acquire public speaking skills, which will help me in all walks of life.

William Shakespeare wrote - “All the world's a stage, And all the men and women merely players: They have their exits and their entrances;” I made my entry 22 years ago in the city of Mr.Sharad Pawar, Baramati and brought up in different villages of Konkan and now in Pune, in front of you.

I am Abhinav, my name is derived from the Sanskrit language, which is one of the world’s oldest languages. The word originates from the Rigveda.  meaning young, novel, innovative.  As theme of the day is children-joy of life. I'd like share some memories of my childhood.

As a kid I was dangerously naughty. During school days once someone came into my life. I couldn't live without her. I played a lot of games with her. Day in day out she was with me. She was Japanese. Oops!! I can see some disbelieving looks among you. Well it was a Hitachi ---- The Game Console. One day I was playing with Hitachi our my elder brother entered and grabbed controller. I stayed mum. Then he said "It's for gamers. It's not for you (Limbu Timbu) means little boy". I decided to taught him lesson. I kept my silence, went back came with my bat and whacked into his back. And replied "One day I'll create my own games and I will not give it to you. And now onwards I dare you to call me Limbu Timbu again". Actually the incident was lesson to me because of things happened to me after my brother got control of the bat.

So, following the passion to work for something creative, my words given to my brother and Standing with my Name today I am 22 Year OLD Innovative Game Developer. Recently our company have published cricket game in which I contributed as game flow designer and programmer.

I know that I have a long way to go as a speaker. And that’s why I have joined Toastmasters Club to improve my speaking skills and help others to do the same. So let us all work together, learn from each other and become excellent speakers.