Kolkata, May 6: Kolkata Knight Riders captain Sourav Ganguly is buoyant by the recent favorable turn of events in the Shoaib Akhtar saga. Now that the ‘Rawalpindi Express’ has been cleared for participation in the Indian Premier League, Ganguly hopes that his struggling side can turn things around quickly.

"He was in our scheme of things initially, and after having had to make do without him in all these games, it`s good to know that he is joining the team," Ganguly said.

However the elegant southpaw, no stranger to controversy himself, was quick to stress on the need for his team to click as a unit."…… it`s equally important to realise that no individual can turn things around dramatically. For our team to succeed, everyone has to do well”.

Kolkata have managed just two wins from six games and Shoaib`s arrival would no doubt be a fillip to their preparations for their home match against Bangalore on Thursday. However question marks continue to remain over Shoaib`s fitness and John Bucanan, Kolkata`s coach, has insisted on a fitness test. The team is scheduled to play a practice match on Wednesday and Shoaib`s performance there could decide on his being picked.

Buchanan said that he was approaching Shoaib`s arrival with ‘an open mind’. "Obviously, Shoaib has a reputation, not only on the field but off it too... There are rules in place and there are ways in which the team has been operating," he said. "As long as Shoaib understands what`s in place and abides by the rules, there shouldn`t be any drama."

Buchanan said that he spoke to Geoff Lawson, coach of Pakistan, before the IPL started and was told that Shoaib had never been fitter. "He brings pace to the table and is possibly one of those players who could emerge a Twenty20 specialist because Shoaib won`t have to bowl more than four overs. He could just run in for those four overs and make an impact," said Buchanan. "Pace is pretty important [and] one of the things we`re looking for in the team is for somebody to stand up and have a presence. We could get that out of somebody like a Brad Hodge or a Salman Butt. Equally, someone like Shoaib brings a presence; whether he plays or not, there`s a real buzz around him."

Asked about his approach towards Shoaib, Buchanan said: "That these are my expectations from you and I`m sure you`ve got expectations of me. That this is how the team operates, that these are the values we hold dear. Welcome to the Knight Riders, but there are no special rules for anybody."