SNIP SPIN: Shoaib Akhtar gets his locks shorn at a city salon on Sunday. Picture by Aranya Sen

After being derailed for six days — first by viral bronchitis and then by Indian batsmen — there was no slowing the Rawalpindi Express down on Sunday evening in the city that had changed his life in 1999.

“Calcutta changed my destiny forever… My life was never the same again after I got Sachin Tendulkar out for a first-ball duck at Eden Gardens,” said Shoaib Akhtar, emerging from a 25-minute-long haircut at a saloon on Wood Street.

Seven winters later, another dramatic twist in the tale awaits the 32-year-old superstar of Pakistani cricket. Having earlier turned down the role of Shiney Ahuja in Gangster, Shoaib is now ready to give bowling a break and go the Bollywood way.

“A director is coming to meet me with the script in Bangalore (where Pakistan and India play the final Test from Saturday),” admitted the speedster.

Some girls getting their routine Sunday evening treatment at Eyecatchers could not believe their luck. “I actually managed to shake hands with him,” gushed Sweta Singh. “He is perfect Bollywood material. He should definitely be working in movies,” added the 27-year-old banking official.

Dressed in a body-hugging T-shirt, striped cream trousers and leather chappals, with a thick chain dangling around his neck, Shoaib was described as the “king of cool” by his fans outside the saloon. And he made their day by saluting the Maharaj of Calcutta. “Dada is Dada. He scored an excellent 100 in front of his home crowd,” said Shoaib, flashing that trademark smile.

So what was Shoaib up to at the saloon?

“The ends of his hair were falling on his ears. He only wanted them trimmed,” said barber Ahmed, who could not stop beaming.

Shoaib has had a run of bad luck in Calcutta this time, being hospitalised two days before the Test match and then struggling through 24 wicketless overs during the Indian innings.

“Trust me, the first two overs that I bowled on Friday morning I could not see anything. I was just running in blindly without seeing the batsman.”

Why was the man about town not going anywhere this time?

“I was ill since I arrived in Calcutta… My visits were restricted to the hospital and Eden Gardens. Where else could I have gone?” winked Shoaib, responding patiently to requests for autographs and photographs.

Shoaib was admitted to Apollo Gleneagles Hospital on the evening of November 27 and discharged the next morning.

He was suffering from “viral laryngo tracheo bronchitis, along with secondary bacterial chest infection” and also running a temparature.

“I am still not fully fit,” admitted Shoaib, between bouts of coughing, before hopping into a luxury car, escorted by a pilot vehicle, and zooming off to the team hotel.