Rishabh Pant created history in the first Test against England at Leeds by becoming the first Indian wicketkeeper to score centuries in both innings of a Test match. After a superb 134 in the first innings, Pant followed it up with a remarkable 118 in the second.
This rare achievement made him only the second wicketkeeper in Test cricket history to accomplish this, after Andy Flower of Zimbabwe, who scored 142 and 199 against South Africa in 2001.
Pant also joined an elite group of Indian players—Vijay Hazare, Sunil Gavaskar, Rahul Dravid, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, and Rohit Sharma—who have scored twin hundreds in a Test. The explosive southpaw’s fearless batting style brought joy to fans, and his efforts did not go unnoticed by prominent cricket personalities.
Goenka Praises Pant and KL Rahul
Sanjiv Goenka, the owner of Lucknow Super Giants, praised Pant’s outstanding performance on social media. Posting shortly after Pant’s second century, Goenka wrote, “Two good! Back-to-back centuries for @RishabhPant17. Aggressive, audacious, brilliant. Only the second wicketkeeper in history to score a century in both innings of a Test.”
He was clearly thrilled with Pant’s heroics. Interestingly, Goenka also gave a nod to KL Rahul, who had also scored a century in the same Test. “Congratulations also to @klrahul for his hundred. #INDvsENG,” added Goenka. Despite past tensions between them, Goenka did not miss the opportunity to acknowledge Rahul’s performance, showing a professional attitude by separating personal differences from cricketing merit.
Rahul and Goenka’s Strained Past
Though Goenka appreciated Rahul’s effort, their personal relationship has been strained since IPL 2024. The tension became public during a match where Goenka was seen in an intense exchange with Rahul after LSG suffered a major loss to Sunrisers Hyderabad. This incident reportedly damaged their professional relationship, eventually leading to Rahul’s release before the IPL 2025 mega auction.
He later joined Delhi Capitals. During an IPL 2025 match between DC and LSG, Rahul appeared to ignore Goenka, a moment that was caught on camera and widely shared. Despite these issues, Goenka’s praise for Rahul shows his respect for cricketing achievements even when personal history is complicated.
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