The pace bowler has claimed 309 wickets in 71 Test matches with an impressive average.
The Australian chief selector George Bailey has declared that pace spearhead Cummins will have a crucial role in the forthcoming historic rivalry.
Rumors had circulated that Cummins might be unavailable due to a stress fracture in his back that was still troubling him.
Previous updates from team management suggested no final decision had been made regarding his involvement, with the five-Test series set to start on November 21 in the WACA.
The selector shared that the captain is progressing and remained hopeful about his chances of being involved.
"It's clear that time is getting short and there are permutations around that, not only the back issue, but other factors as well," Bailey remarked.
"We're encouraged. We firmly believe that he'll participate in a key capacity. With luck it's the first Test. Should that not happen, we'll reassess."
Injury History
He was sidelined Australia's limited-overs series against New Zealand and India last month after examinations confirmed a lower back issue.
Previous incidents include of spinal problems, with setbacks in 2012-13, 2013-14 and 2015-16 leading to absences from multiple domestic campaigns in a short span.
Cummins stated he would be ""aggressive" and "take risks" in his recovery plan to ensure his availability for the series.
The selector indicated that it was unclear if the captain had resumed bowling as part of his rehabilitation but conceded it was "pressing" for him to be fit for the opener.
Backup Options
If he's unavailable, veteran batsman Smith will take over the captaincy.
The talented all-rounder was recently pulled out from Australia's squad for their ODI contests against the subcontinent side as a preventive step because of soreness in his side.
The selector characterized it as a "slight concern and confirmed that he'll feature in the state-level matches, so will be "ideally positioned to resume bowling."
"We put so much time has gone into building out the plan for him to be available for the initial game as an dual-role player," Bailey explained.
"His involvement was limited to the first two ODIs in any case. The way he swings the cricket bat in white-ball cricket, if it causes any delay for a short period, the choice was made to approach this more conservatively."
Series Schedule
The Historic Rivalry
From November 21, 2025 to January 7, 2026