NEW DELHI: As the postponement of the Indian Premier League (IPL) further delayed MS Dhoni's return to the field, former cricketer Mohammad Azharuddin said that making a comeback in the international cricket after a long time is not easy adding that 'practicing and playing matches are two different things'.
As the ICC Men's T20 World Cup is approaching, Azharuddin said the selectors will definitely look at the previous performances while picking up the squad for the premier tournament.
"Dhoni can explain better than me about what he wants and it will be his personal decision. See as of now, the situation is not good and that is why IPL is not taking place and I feel it will take some time to get things sorted but for Dhoni, it is his personal decision," Azharuddin told ANI.
"Definitely, the selectors will look at the performance because playing after a long gap is not that easy, match practice is really important and it does not matter how big player you are, you have to play some matches. Practising and playing matches are two different things," he added.
The 2020 edition of the IPL has been postponed until further notice by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) due to the coronavirus crisis in the country.
The ICC T20 World Cup 2020 is scheduled to be played between October 18 and November 15 at seven venues across Australia.
Amid India's fight against the deadly virus, several cases have been reported in the country where people have assaulted doctors and police officers.
Condemning such incidents, Azharuddin said people indulging in such activities should be given 'very hard punishments'.
"See, those who are attacking doctors and police team should be given hard punishment. When a doctor joins this profession, he/she takes an oath to save the lives of people. They are just doing their job and if someone is attacking them then they should be given very hard punishment then only people will understand," he said.
Azharuddin also urged people to follow the guidelines put in place by the government and take every precaution.
"See we have to follow rules and regulations. People should not gather anywhere. We have to take every precaution as there is no vaccine for it. So, we have to practice social distancing," Azharuddin said.