Goa all-rounder Arjun Tendulkar created history by completing a rare milestone in T20 cricket, one that even his legendary father, Sachin Tendulkar, never achieved. During a recent Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy match against Madhya Pradesh, Arjun became part of an elite group of players who have opened both the batting and bowling in the same T20 game.
The youngster, ever since he shifted from Mumbai to Goa before the 2022/23 seasongave him more playing time and responsibility. The left-arm pacer plays
all three formats for Goa and has shown improvement across competitions. Notably, ahead of IPL 2026, Arjun was also traded from the Mumbai Indians to the Lucknow Super Giants. Arjun’s record moment came during Goa’s Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy league-stage match against Madhya Pradesh in Kolkata. Goa handed him dual responsibility, opening both the batting and the bowling.
He made an immediate impact with the new ball. Arjun bowled the first over, striking immediately by dismissing opener Shivang Kumar. In his next over, he removed Ankush Singh before later grabbing the big wicket of Venkatesh Iyer. He also contributed in the field by taking a catch to dismiss the MP captain Rajat Patidar. Arjun finished with 3 for 36 in his four overs, having conceded only five runs in his first two overs.
The milestone becomes even more special considering his father Sachin Tendulkar’s T20 numbers. While Sachin was a full-time opener in the format, he never opened the bowling. Across 96 T20 matches, the former bowled only 93 balls and picked just two wickets.
With the bat, the southpaw continued his new role at the top of the order. He smashed 16 off 10 balls, hitting three boundaries and giving Goa a solid start in their chase of 171. His contribution eventually handed Goa a seven-wicket victory, supported by captain Suyash Prabhudessai’s unbeaten 75. This performance added to his consistent run in the ongoing SMAT season, where he has taken six wickets in four matches at an economy of 7.70 and chipped in useful runs at a strike rate of 120.
