For cricket-crazy Kolkata, this wait has been as long as his marathon run-up to the bowling mark. After over a month of heartburn and speculation over whether he would turn his arm over in the IPL at all, the city’s new darling Shoaib Akhtar finally touched down to don the Knight Riders shirt, and wipe the frown off Kolkata team owner Shah Rukh Khan’s face.

The Rawalpindi Express may have only arrived in the city late this evening, but Kolkata is already swinging to the tune of the popular Pakistani fast bowler.

And the fresh wave of madness and euphoria surrounding the tear-away fast bowler couldn’t have come at a better time, with the Sourav Ganguly-led team desperately looking to get back to winning ways after a string of defeats in the ongoing Twenty20 carnival.

Shoaib, who was yesterday cleared by the Pakistan Cricket Board to play in the IPL after being slapped with a 5-year ban earlier, naturally made a hurried dash to the city, flying down to Kolkata this evening after stopping over in Delhi, via Lahore.

The fast bowler himself made all the right noises after landing. “Eden Gardens is my favourite ground. I am proud to be back here. Eden Gardens has made me Shoaib Akhtar, when I took two wickets in two balls to dismiss Dravid and Tendulkar in the 1999 Test match,” he told reporters in Kolkata.

“I am happy to be in India. I am looking forward to play in the IPL and play my role for my team,” Akhtar said, even as he thanked Kolkata franchise-owner Shah Rukh Khan for his support. “I am grateful to the people of India for embracing me, especially (team owner) Shah Rukh Khan who supported me.

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