The Australian skipper has taken 309 wickets in 71 five-day games with an average of 22.10.
The Australian chief selector George Bailey has declared that captain Pat Cummins will play a "major part" in the forthcoming historic rivalry.
Rumors had circulated that the veteran bowler might sit out due to a stress fracture in his back that had not yet healed.
Earlier indications from the Australian camp suggested no definitive call had been made regarding Cummins' participation, with the five-Test series set to start on the 21st of November in Western Australia.
He revealed that the captain is progressing and was "optimistic" about the likelihood of being involved.
"We know that time is getting short and multiple considerations involved, aside from his injury, but other factors as well," Bailey remarked.
"It's positive. We firmly believe that he's going to play a major part. Hopefully from the opening match. Should that not happen, we'll reassess."
Previous Setbacks
Cummins was ruled out Australia's limited-overs series against New Zealand and India recently after examinations confirmed a lower back issue.
There is a track record of spinal problems, with recurrences in several earlier campaigns forcing him out of multiple domestic campaigns in a limited period.
The bowler mentioned he would be ""aggressive" and "take risks" in his rehabilitation process to secure his spot for the contest.
He mentioned that he did not know if the captain had resumed bowling as part of his comeback but conceded it was "getting tight" for him to regain fitness for the first Test.
Backup Options
Should Cummins not be fit, ex-skipper Smith will take over the captaincy.
Versatile player Green was withdrawn recently from Australia's squad for their one-day international series against the subcontinent side as a safety move because of soreness in his side.
Bailey described it as a "minor" injury and stated that Green will play in the state-level matches, so will be "ideally positioned to deliver overs."
"We put so much time has gone into developing the strategy for him to take part for the first Test as an all-rounder," Bailey explained.
"His involvement was limited to the starting games regardless. How he handles the bat in limited-overs, even if it just sets him back for a short period, we opted to adopt a safer strategy."
Fixture Details
The Historic Rivalry
Spanning from late 2025 to early 2026
