Returning to Indian side is not easy for MS Dhoni: Azharuddin

New Delhi, April 18: Former Indian skipper Mohammad Azharuddin said it would be tough for MS Dhoni to return to the Indian side. Dhoni has been on a sabbatical from international cricket since India's semifinal exit from the ICC World Cup 2019 in England last June.

Dhoni began his preparations for the IPL 2020 for Chennai Super Kings but the tournament itself has been postponed till further notice due to the coronavirus, putting Dhoni's case in further marshy place.

It has been speculated that a good effort in the IPL 2020 could put him in contention to get back into the side Indian side for the ICC T20 World Cup scheduled to be held in Australia later this year.

"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.

Azharuddin said that selectors will look at Dhoni's performances when he returns to active cricket, hinting that it will not be easy for the two-time World Cup winning captain.

"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 a player you are, you have to play some matches. Practicing and playing matches are two different things," he added.