Indian cricketer Virat Kohli (R) reacts next to the captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni (L) after winning the match during the Asia Cup T20 cricket tournament final match between Bangladesh and India at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Dhaka on March 6, 2016. / AFP / MUNIR UZ ZAMAN (Photo credit should read MUNIR UZ ZAMAN/AFP/Getty Images)

Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting has analysed Virat Kohli's recent slump in form, claiming that the Indian skipper is worth persisting with at the international level.

Ponting said the positive impact of retaining Kohli in the upcoming T20 World Cup in Australia will outweigh the potential will to omit him from the tournament.

He believes Kohli can still have a meaningful impact for his country despite a struggle for runs in the IPL and not scoring an international century in three years.

Ponting lauded Kohli's presence on field, claiming he is still a player to be feared, with his batting capable of taking the game away from the opposition.

"I think if I was an opposition captain or an opposition player, I will be fearing playing an Indian team that has Virat Kohli in it, more than I would be one that doesn’t have him in it," Ponting told the ICC Review.

"I know there have been some challenges for him, it’s been a difficult time.

"But every great player that I have seen in this game has been through it at some stage, whether that’s a batsman or a bowler, they have all been through it.

"And somehow, the best (players) find a way to rebound and respond, and it’s only a matter of time before Virat does that."

The Indian great averages 50.12 from 99 T20Is, but has only featured in four of India's 16 T20I matches in 2022. Ponting believes that there is more upside in playing Kohli in the T20 World Cup than not, but the side may already be adjusting to post Kohli life.

"If you leave Virat out of the eve of the World Cup, and someone comes in and has a reasonable tournament, it will be hard for Virat to get back in it," Ponting said.

"If I was India, I will keep pushing with him, because I know the upside. If they actually get him back confident and playing as well as he can, that upside is better than most.

"So I think if I was a captain or a coach around the Indian set up, I will be making life as easy as possible for him to feel as comfortable as possible, and just wait for him to flick the switch and start scoring runs again."

Much of the cricket world has rallied around Kohli as he encounters a slump in form, with just a pair of ODI fifties and a couple of Test match fifties to show in the last 12 months.

Ponting believes the T20 World Cup could be the just occasion to commit to Kohli for the entirety of the tournament to help him find his form.

"Early in the tournament, for a first-round game, (it’s important to) get him in nice and early, among the runs, and then hopefully by the end of the tournament you’ll have Virat Kohli back at his best," Ponting said.

"That’s the way I would look at it. I wouldn’t think about holding him back at the start of the tournament, with the thought that you might be able to bring him back towards the back end and have him peak. Tournament play isn’t like that.

"You need to work your way into the tournament, get some runs under your belt, and get some confidence and then be playing your best cricket at the back end."