Pat Cummins has secured 309 wickets in 71 Test matches with an average of 22.10.
Australia's chair of selectors Bailey has declared that skipper Cummins will play a "major part" in the forthcoming historic rivalry.
Rumors had circulated that the 32-year-old might miss the series due to a stress fracture in his back that remained unresolved.
Previous updates from the squad suggested no final decision had been made regarding whether he would play, with the five-Test series scheduled to begin on the 21st of November in Perth.
The selector shared that his recovery is on track and felt positive about the likelihood of taking part.
"We're aware that the window is narrowing and multiple considerations around that, aside from his injury, but additional elements," he commented.
"We're encouraged. There's strong faith that he'll participate in a key capacity. Hopefully from the opening match. Should that not happen, we'll adjust."
Previous Setbacks
The captain missed Australia's limited-overs series against India and New Zealand last month after scans revealed a lower back issue.
Previous incidents include of back injuries, with flare-ups in multiple past seasons causing him to miss several home seasons in a limited period.
The bowler mentioned he would be ""aggressive" and "take risks" in his recovery plan to make the squad for the series.
The selector indicated that there was no confirmation if Cummins had begun bowling as part of his recovery but acknowledged it was "getting tight" for him to recover fully for the opener.
Contingency Plans
If he's unavailable, veteran batsman Smith will assume leadership.
All-rounder Cameron Green was excluded lately from the national team for their one-day international series against the subcontinent side as a safety move because of an abdominal issue.
The selector characterized it as a "slight concern and confirmed that he's scheduled to appear in the domestic first-class competition, so will be "ideally positioned to be ready to bowl."
"We put so much time has gone into developing the strategy for him to take part for the opening match as an batting and bowling option," the selector detailed.
"He was only going to play the initial matches in any case. How he handles the willow in shorter formats, should it hinder progress for another day, we just made the decision to approach this more conservatively."
Match Calendar
The Historic Rivalry
Spanning from late 2025 to early 2026
