Indian Cricket Fever in Pune

The game of cricket has been known since 16th century, but it was played internationally from 1844. It first originated in England and the first international cricket test match was played between England and Australia. Australia won the match becoming the team to win the first test match in the cricket history. Today, there are many teams playing test and one day matches internationally.

The people in Pune are crazy for cricket. People in Pune city fix up large screens and projectors in public places whenever there is any important cricket match been played. The spirit of World Cup is on a high and people consider India as the main contender for the world cup. On the day when India is playing any match, whole city is deserted. Lightning of crackers is common after winning the match. The day appears to be like Diwali on an Indian win.

Australian team has been dominating the world of cricket for recent years, but the World Cup 2011 quarter finals match between India and Australia on 24th March 2011 proved that the dominance of Australia now no longer exists. India won the match by 5 wickets and 14 balls remaining. Thanks to the terrific efforts from Sachin Tendulkar, Gautam Gambhir and Yuvraj Singh who all scored half centuries in the important game. Suresh Raina accompanied Yuvraj to win with unbeaten 34 runs. With this win, Indian team qualified for the Semifinals where it will fight with the arc rivals Pakistan to qualify for the Final.

India holds a record of not losing even a single match against Pakistan in World Cups. It will be interesting to see whether Pakistan succeeds to breakthrough this record of Indian team. The match is scheduled on 30th March 2011 at Mohali. The India-Pakistan match is always a point of interest for all the cricket lovers.

Check out for more details http://www.cricketworldcup2011.co.in/

Dapoli, the mini Mahabaleshwar

Dapoli is surely one of the best places to enjoy your holidays. It is situated few kilometers from the Arabian Sea, enriched with beaches, temples and mouth watering cuisines.

Dapoli is a small town in the Ratnagiri district of Maharashtra. It is one of the popular hill stations in Konkan region and hence is called Mini Mahabaleshwar, due to its cool climate. Dapoli is birthplace to many historians like Lokmanya Tilak, Sane Guruji, Wrangler Paranjpe, Maharshi Dhondo Keshav Karve etc. Dapoli is popular for its pristine beaches, historical temples, caves and forts. Dapoli is getting popular as a tourist destination these days with many tourists from Pune visiting it as a weekend destination.
Location:
Dapoli is situated 180 KM from Pune. There are many transport options available to get there.

How to reach?
There are ample private and public modes of transport to reach Dapoli. The simplest way to go is by road. If you have your own vehicle to travel, it’s the best option or you can also hire a vehicle. Apart from government authorized transport services, a lot of private transport companies have started their Luxury Bus service from Pune to Dapoli.

By train, the nearest train station is Khed which is 40KM away from Dapoli, whereas if you choose air travel, nearest airport is Ratnagiri, around 100KM away.

Food and Accommodation:
When it comes to Konkan, the first thing strike your mind is the sea food. But there are all sorts of cuisines available. For vegetarians, Solkadhi-Rice, Modak, Kulith Pithale etc is a must to taste. For Non- vegetarians, sea food ranging from fish, prawns, oysters and crabs is available. You can also enjoy typical Maharashtrian dishes like Kanda Bhaji and Misal.

Regarding accommodation, there are MTDC resorts located near Harnai beach, which offer facilities like tents. There are many luxurious and budget hotels in Dapoli for tourists at various places. So when are you planning your trip to enjoy the taste of Dapoli?

If you want to know about more places then go to Pune Travel