Living his teenage dream of opening the bowling with Brett Lee, after Stuart Clark was ruled out with an elbow injury, Australia's latest debutant left no one in any doubt of his aggressive nature.
Delivering the second over of the second Test here today, Siddle bowled a short ball to India's opening batsman Gautam Gambhir which caught the left-hander off-guard.
Gambhir ducked and turned his head, only for the ball to crash into the back of his helmet.
Briefly shaken, Gambhir removed his helmet to inspect the damage and was examined by the India team physio before resuming, driving Siddle to cover boundary a few balls later to restore the balance.
The reality of Test cricket soon sunk in, with the Victorian fast bowler returning figures of 0-35 from his opening six-over spell as India made a flying start in hot conditions on an ideal batting wicket.
Lee has been the 23-year-old's idol for almost a decade.
“I've watched him progress since I was 15 or 16 and he was a young bowler my age,” Siddle said before the Test.
“Taking the new ball with him would be a great honour. A lot of great players have done it in the past.”
Siddle had a paint brush in his hand when the most significant moment of his short but rapidly rising cricket career was about to take place.
In the way of this country's modern fast bowlers, Australia's latest debutant had measured his run-up with a tape measure and was marking the start of it with white paint.
“Hurry up, Pete,” bowling coach Troy Cooley yelled. “You'll be late for your own party.”
The touring squad had gathered in a tight circle on the ground near their change rooms and captain Ricky Ponting stood holding a barely unwrapped baggy green cap.
Siddle abandoned his paint brush and ran to the huddle, where Ponting made a short and stirring speech welcoming the paceman as Australia's 403rd Test cricketer.
Such has been the rapid change in this side recently, it has become a well-practised speech.
Ponting has presented a new baggy green four times in the past six months, including three in Australia's past three Tests, with Brad Haddin making his debut at the start of the West Indies series.
He was followed by Beau Casson, also at the end of the West Indies series, Cameron White in Bangalore and now Siddle.
Such was the late notice, he was told at training on Thursday when Clark failed a fitness test, that his parents and brother were unable to get here until today.
After taking 33 wickets at 15.76 in just five Sheffield Shield matches during a season and a career curtailed by shoulder problems _ he had a second reconstruction post-season _ Siddle was selected for last month's Australia A tour of India.
He has played just a dozen first-class matches in three years.
“It's been a long road,” he said. “I've had a few injuries over the time.
“I haven't played a lot of first-class cricket but I can hopefully just do what I've been doing back home and go well for Australia doing the same thing.”
The A tour and the subsequent four-day match against an Indian second XI before the first Test in Bangalore have been a significant lift in intensity for the paceman.
“The main experience was the difference in standard and having to step up against quality players who you don't get to play against all the time,” Siddle said.
“You have to be a lot more consistent. Back home if you bowl a loose ball you might get a wicket or a dot ball whereas at this standard the boundaries come a lot easier and they look to score a lot more so it can be tougher.”
The conditions have also been an eye-opener.
“It's a lot different to adapt to. Back home you can hit the wicket and get a lot more seam away so it's a big change but I think I've adapted fairly well.”
Indian
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