With Virat Kohli struggling for runs during Team India's ongoing campaign in the T20 World Cup, his former Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) teammate Dinesh Karthik has predicted the talismanic batter's return to form in crunch games of the tournament.

“Rohit just got a 50 in first match. How much can he score on these pitches? Team itself is only scoring 100. Don't worry about Virat Kohli. He will score when it matters,” Dinesh Karthik told Cricbuzz.

“He is never not performed in the World Cup, and there is no doubt about this World Cup too. He will 100 percent perform. Cometh the hour, cometh the man. Virat Kohli will be there. We have qualified for the Super Eight. I promise you, he will be all guns blazing once we reach the Caribbean,” he added.

Dinesh Karthik's remarks came days after USA's Saurabh Netravalkar removed the Team India superstar for a golden duck at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium on Wednesday.

With Virat Kohli registering his maiden golden duck in the T20 World Cup, his terrible run in the tournament extended to three matches in a row.

The Delhi-born cricketer arrived in the US after having a stellar Indian Premier League (IPL), recording one of his best seasons in the 17 editions of the competition.

During the 17th edition of the tournament, Virat Kohli made 741 runs in 15 matches, thus becoming the only batter to cross the 700-run barrier this year.

With this, Virat Kohli won the Orange Cap for the second time in the history of the IPL, having previously bagged it in 2016.

In 2016, Virat Kohli struck a phenomenal 973 runs, which remains a record in the event.

But he began his T20 World Cup campaign with a score of 1 off 5 deliveries against Ireland at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in the Big Apple last week.

On a lively pitch that was aiding fast bowlers, Virat Kohli slashed hard at the ball delivered by Mark Adair. However, he could only get a thick edge, and Benjamin White, who was standing at third man, did the rest.

The 35-year-old batter followed his 1 against Ireland by scoring four runs against arch-rivals Pakistan.

Interestingly, it was his lowest score against the Green Army in the T20 World Cup.

After experiencing two successive failures, everyone expected Virat Kohli to find his groove against the USA but it wasn't meant to be.

Saurabh Netravalkar, who once represented India in the U-19 World Cup, ended Virat Kohli's plans of rejuvenation as soon as he arrived at the crease to open the batting with skipper Rohit Sharma.

Enticing Virat Kohli with a little bit of a wide delivery outside the off stump, Saurabh Netravalkar sent him back to the pavilion after he edged the ball to be caught behind by the wicketkeeper.

It is worth noting that in the past, Virat Kohli has had difficulties against left-arm bowlers, and Saurabh Netravalkar was no exception. With the track helping the fast bowlers, Saurabh Netravalkar's delivery moved after pitching and Virat Kohli was unable to handle it, thus losing his wicket for naught against the hosts.

After the match, Saurabh Netravalkar revealed the talismanic Team India batter congratulated him on his splendid performance.

“I am just happy that I can pursue both my passions. It is all happening very fast and I am in the process of digesting it. These last two games were really high-profile. It was an emotional moment to get Virat's wicket. I was looking to hit off-stump and it worked out well,” the Oracle coder said in the post-match press conference.

“I know Surya from my U-15, U-17 days, we were talking about our dressing-room banter. I didn't know Virat personally but he did congratulate me,” he disclosed.

Virat Kohli's horrible run in the T20 World Cup has ignited an intense debate among former cricketers – while some suggest that he should play at the No.3 position in the batting order, a place he has tasted most of his success in the format, others believe that he should follow his time-tested approach of settling down in the middle, rather going out aggressive from the word go.

Former Team India cricketer Mohammad Kaif in particular wants Virat Kohli to bat at No.3 because at the position he would have enough time to settle down before playing with intent afterwards.

“I believe Virat Kohli should bat at number three. He has been opening in these seaming conditions where batting is not easy, unlike the flat pitches in the IPL. He plays excellently and aggressively, but perhaps here, he shouldn't play aggressively; maybe he should play to save his wicket,” Mohammad Kaif said in a video posted on Twitter.

“At number three, Virat Kohli will play his natural game. He will have time to settle and analyze the game. Scoring 50-60 runs would be great for him. His stats at this position in previous World Cups are impressive. If Rishabh Pant can move from number five to number three, then he can also open from number three. You will get a left-right combination, with Kohli at number three and Suryakumar Yadav at number four,” Mohammad Kaif concluded.