Peter Siddle picks Sachin Tendulkar and MS Dhoni in ‘Best of Enemies’ XI

When Peter Siddle made his Test debut back in 2008 as a fiery 24-year-old, the Victorian had the reputation of being one of the fastest bowlers in the country and, to go along with it, was also famous for his ‘in your face' attitude. Making his debut against a full-strength Indian side in Mohali, Siddle made an instant name for himself by accounting for Sachin Tendulkar as his first-ever Test wicket, and remarkably, backed it up by also picking the wicket of MS Dhoni in the same innings. 

On Tuesday, 12 years post his Test debut, Siddle decided to pick the ‘Best Enemies XI’ he’s played against, and the list, unsurprisingly, featured both Sachin Tendulkar and MS Dhoni. In a video released by Cricket Australia, the Victorian pacer picked the Best XI of opponents he has played against and the list featured greats of the game, including Dhoni, Tendulkar, Dale Steyn and Jacques Kallis. 

Siddle picked arch-nemesis Alastair Cook and South Africa’s Graeme Smith as the openers, while his middle-order consisted of the formidable trio of Kumar Sangakkara, Tendulkar and AB de Villiers. While revealing that he initially wanted to have Ben Stokes at No.6, Siddle admitted that Kallis was too good to leave out and eventually ended up picking the South African as the side’s all-rounder.

The 35-year-old, who famously picked a hat-trick on birthday at the Gabba in 2010, opted for Dhoni as the wicket-keeper of his team, with the Australian having been at the wrath of many a great knock of the Jharkhand man, none more so than the double century in Chennai in 2013. Siddle rounded off the XI by opting for Dale Steyn, James Anderson and Stuart Broad as the pacers, with Rangana Herath finding a place in the team as the lone specialist spinner.

After having guided Australia to their first Ashes retention on English soil since 2001, the Victorian called time on his international career in December 2019, at the age of 35. 

Peter Siddle’s Best Enemies XI:

Alastair Cook, Graeme Smith, Kumar Sangakkara, Sachin Tendulkar, AB de Villiers, Jacques Kallis, MS Dhoni (wk), Stuart Broad, Dale Steyn, James Anderson, Rangana Herath.