Mumbai, Jan. 6 -- He has been India's top scorer in the series with an unbeaten 113 in the first match in Chennai and a 54 not out in the second at Kolkata, but, that doesn't guarantee MS Dhoni will be able to retain his captaincy in one-dayers. Repercussions of losing to Pakistan have always been severe for both teams, and it's only natural that Dhoni will face the heat after the series is over.

Some big decisions are expected from the Sandeep Patil-led selection committee when it meets in Delhi on Sunday to select the team for the five-match ODI series against England.

However, their big call will be on captaincy.

Dhoni was lucky to keep his job in the 2012 season despite the previous selection committee, headed by Kris Srikkanth, being of the view that he was past his sell-by date after the Australia Test debacle.

While it is clear that Dhoni's days at the helm are numbered, the Patil-led committee will be deliberating on whether Virat Kohli is ready for the job.

The other two contenders, Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir, are dealing with inconsistent form. Kohli himself has been inconsistent in recent times, though he has been the team's outstanding performer in the last couple of seasons.

The India team's fortunes have been plummeting for some time now, but the abject surrender against Pakistan has created doubts in the minds of even Dhoni's staunchest supporters about his ability to galvanise this unit.

The other players sweating over selection will openers Sehwag and Gambhir, and middle-order batsman Rohit Sharma. Cheteshwar Pujara is certain to get a look-in, while Manoj Tiwary could be recalled, subject to his fitness.

Published by HT Syndication with permission from Hindustan Times.