VIRAT Kohli does not have to look further than Kane Williamson for proof a poor record in England’s seaming conditions can be repaired.

Kohli averages 53.40 in Test cricket and has scored centuries all over the world – 21 of them across four different continents in fact – but there remains one glaring hole in his CV. Kohli averages 13.40 in England. That’s less than Doug Bollinger managed in the UK (27 runs at 13.50).

Granted, it is unlikely Bollinger’s average would have remained as high if he had faced England’s quicks in 10 innings – as Kohli did – rather than two.

Still, Kohli’s record in the UK is ugly. In 2014, the then 25-year-old managed just 134 runs across five matches and was out edging seven times.

Although he has gone on to score centuries in bouncing, seaming and swinging conditions in South Africa (558 runs at 55.80, two centuries), New Zealand (214 runs at 71.33, one century) and Australia (992 runs at 62.00, five centuries), questions will continue to be asked of his technique if he cannot prove that 2014 tour a misnomer.

Australian great Glenn McGrath suggested as much earlier this week.

“For Virat, he has done everywhere else, but in England,”McGrath told reporters in India. “He is a quality player without a doubt, a class act, has got all the shots. He is quite aggressive and not a timid player. It is time he shows that he can score runs in English conditions too.”

There is reason for the Indian superstar to be optimistic. He is not the first man to suffer a rough start in the UK. Williamson averaged 20.50 in his first Test series in England (82 runs across four innings) and more than doubled that mark in his next (165 runs at 41.25). His numbers weren’t dire but Michael Clarke was dropped after his first Ashes tour (335 at 37.22), and was Australia’s best batsman next time they were in the UK (448 at 64.00).

Closer to home, compatriot Sunil Gavaskar averaged 24.00 in his first series in England (144 runs across three Tests). He improved to an average of 36.16 on the next tour and 77.42 by the third.

Arguably Pakistan’s greatest ever batsman, Javed Miandad flopped nearly as badly as Kohli on his maiden tour of England (77 runs at 15.49). Two tours later he was the second highest run-scorer (360 at 72.00).

Kumar Sangakkara suffered a middling tour of England in 2002 (105 at 21.00). Twelve years later he inspired the country to its second ever series win in the UK (342 runs at 85.50).

The Indian can also take confidence from the knowledge he has generally fared better on his second Test tour of a country. The only country where his numbers have dipped on the second visit is South Africa, where he went from averaging 68.00 in 2013 to 47.66 in 2018. He was still the highest run-scorer that series.

The classical right-hander averaged 37.50 on his first tour of Australia and 86.50 in his next. In the West Indies he went from 15.20 in 2011 to 62.75 in 2016, and in Sri Lanka from 38.83 in 2015 to 53.66 in 2017.

There’s no reason he cannot continue that trend in England.

And if he doesn’t this time around it’s not the end of the world. Ricky Ponting had series averages of 13.50 (one Test in 1996), 21.00 (three Tests in 1998), 3.40 (three Tests in 2001) and 11.50 (one Test in 2004) across his first four Test tours of India before finding some form in 2008 (38.00 across four Tests) and 2010 (56.00 across two Tests). There is always the next tour.