India vs Australia 2016: Time up for MS Dhoni's captaincy?

Melbourne: With MS Dhoni no more being the captain courageous he once used to be, following India's yet another series loss against Australia, the question in the town is whether it's time for him to step down as leader of his side.

After ICC World Cup 2015, the loss against the Aussies, is Men in Blue's third consecutive loss under Dhoni's leadership.

He has not only failed as a captain in the series, but has also failed to score much-needed runs in the latter part of the innings. Barring the 8-ball 23 he scored in the third ODI, Dhoni has looked a pale shadow of the batsman he once was in limited-overs cricket.

At Canberra, chasing a mammoth 348-run target, Shikhar Dhawan (126) and Virat Kohli (106) had swung the match in India's favour with a brilliant 212-run stand for the second-wicket partnership and Steve Smith had plenty to ponder over when MS Dhoni walked to the crease in the 38th over. But much to the delight of the locals fans, the 34-year-old was dismissed for a third-ball duck by John Hastings, which probably was the turning point of the match.

Meanwhile Dhoni's deputy, Virat Kohli, has started the new year with a bang with two fities and as many tons from four matches. The stylish right-hander is also on a record-breaking spree where he seems to achieve a new milestone with each innings.

Considering the way Kohli has performed in the series so far, it's possibly time for Dhoni to step down from captaincy and focus on his batting. It remains to be seen whether the selectors will take a harsh step after the ODI series.