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By Bill Rigby SEATTLE (Reuters) – Satya Nadella, the Indian-born self-described cricket fanatic who took over as Microsoft Corps chief executive last month, makes his public debut on Thursday and is expected to go on the offensive right away with some bold strokes. When Nadella hosts his first major press conference this week, hes likely to describe – if not officially launch – versions of Word, Excel and PowerPoint designed for Apple Incs iPad, looking to cash in on a market worth up to $7 billion a year, according to Wall Street analysts. The technology behind the software is not ground-breaking, but the strategy is: It puts Office at the heart of the companys push to become a leading services company across a variety of platforms – possibly at the expense of Windows and its own Surface tablet. That perceived willingness to break with the Windows tradition, which remains co-founder Bill Gates most enduring legacy, has helped spur Microsoft shares to $40-plus levels not seen since the dotcom boom of 2000.