The next three months could decide Virat Kohli’s future in limited-overs cricket.

The former India captain makes a comeback of sorts in Dubai on Sunday after a brief hiatus knowing well that he stands at the crossroads of his career and his performance will be monitored closely.

Barring any injury, there is no chance of the former India captain being left out of the T20 World Cup squad.

However, how he fares in the Asia Cup and the World Cup will decide if the national selectors will persist with him in the shortest format.

Sources have told The Telegraph that this will be his “last chance” to impress the men who matter in T20Is.

If he fails to perform in these two tournaments, the selectors are bound to look at the future and groom youngsters.

As for ODIs, he will be given a fair run in the bilaterals, though that doesn’t guarantee his automatic selection for the 2023 World Cup in India. Given the nature of the format, Kohli is considered to be more at ease in 50-over cricket than in the shortest format.

“Given his class, he can get a half-century in any of the matches. But that doesn’t mean he still excels in T20Is. Perhaps he has more to give in ODIs and Test cricket,” the source said.

“Every big player goes through this phase though it has lasted a bit longer with him. Don’t expect him to score a hundred after the break straight away... The two tournaments will give us a sneak peek into his form and we’ll know if it’s time to pull the plug in this format.”

On Sunday, Kohli will play his 100th T20I and thus become only the second cricketer after New Zealand’s Ross Taylor to play 100 matches in every format of the game.

Kohli’s failure to get a century in international cricket for almost three years now has already created a stir, with World Cup-winning captain Kapil Dev questioning his place in the side while saying “if the performance is not there, don’t expect people to stay quiet”.

Another legend, Sunil Gavaskar, said he was open to helping Kohli work on his weaknesses though nothing is known to have happened since.

The last time Kohli had sought technical help was from Sachin Tendulkar, following a disastrous tour of England in 2014.

Kohli admitted that he has struggled to cope with mental fatigue and expectations and revealed that he hasn’t touched a bat for 30 days during the break.

It was evident Kohli too has been craving for some “normalcy”.

Be it going out on a scooty ride in Mumbai or a drive in Dubai ahead of Sunday’s key clash, Kohli is determined to slay the demons at work to prove a point or two.