Dubai: Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni is now feeling the heat after many years on one of the hottest seats of world sports.

The latest 3-1 drubbing, after which he is perilously close to the dubious record of away losses, has raised numerous questions about Dhoni’s captaincy in Tests but he is likely to retain his position as there is no possible replacement option available.

There are many reasons behind the poor performance overseas, one of which could be the retirement of players such as Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Venkatsai Laxman from the previous tours.

They have all retired and no one has control over that as these world-beaters are the best judge of their own state of affairs — their fitness levels and their state of mind after battling years on the field.

But, in my opinion, the two key factors that are missing, which could have made a difference, is dashing opener Virender Sehwag and left-arm pacer Zaheer Khan. Incidentally, both were not considered for the tour as India were looking to build a team for the future.

Unfortunately, this decision has come back to hurt Dhoni as he missed the invaluable experience, which could have come in handy when things did not go India’s way apart from producing their brilliant performances on the field.

One can argue that these two players, Zaheer only for a brief period, were also present during the drubbing India received in England and Australia four years ago. And every time Sehwag gets out his footwork and technique against the moving delivery in England could also be argued against him. However, these youngsters, who have replaced the experienced and proven match-winner Sehwag, have not done any better.

In his last three years on the international scene before being dumped after two Tests in 2013, the dashing Delhi opener averaged a modest 31.56 and 29.53 after scoring 1,422 runs at an average of 61.82 in 2010. India topped the world Test rankings in the same year until they were dethroned by England in 2011. Any connection to his form? Sure it is. Despite all the shortcomings, Sehwag remains India’s only batsman to score a triple century and is in the elite company of Don Bradman, Brian Lara and Chris Gayle as one of four Test batsmen in the world to score over 300 twice in their careers.

Tilting the match

It is not only Sehwag’s batting, which can tilt the match in India’s favour on his day where he can decimate the bowling, but also can be a good off-spinner and quite easily fill the role of the fifth bowler. Sehwag’s prowess as a spinner can easily be on par with that of Ravindra Jadeja, if not better.

One would have expected Sehwag to be at least in the Indian team for the shorter formats, especially after his match-winning knock for Kings XI Punjab against the Dhoni-led Chennai Super Kings in the virtual semi-final of the seventh Indian Premier League earlier this year. If the IPL formed the stepping stone for the new generation of Indian players, then why can’t it offer someone like Sehwag a chance for a comeback?

It is a known fact that Zaheer, who was under the cloud of an injury before the start of the series, has been the commander-in-chief on the field, guiding the bowlers, setting the field and working on strategies. It is here that Dhoni was found wanting. How could one forget the scene in England during the last tour, when he removed his pads and bowled a few overs, clearly lacking imagination to force a change, when things were drifting away from India. Dhoni is accused of a similar strategy this time around, especially with India taking the lead in the five-match series.

At the beginning of the Test series and after the first two matches, England skipper Alastair Cook came under severe attack for his captaincy, but by the end of the series Dhoni is facing the wrath of the critics in India. With the one dayers that starts today, the World Cup winning captain will hope to change the tide in his favour.