The Australian skipper has taken 309 wickets in 71 appearances with an stellar bowling average.
Australia's chief selector George Bailey has declared that skipper Cummins will play a "major part" in the upcoming 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.
Previous updates from team management suggested no definitive call had been made regarding Cummins' participation, with the five-Test series set to start on November 21 in Perth.
He revealed that his recovery is on track and felt positive about the prospects of participating.
"It's clear that the window is narrowing and there are permutations involved, not just his injury, but further aspects," Bailey remarked.
"It's positive. There's strong faith that he'll participate in a significant role. Hopefully from the opening match. Should that not happen, we'll adjust."
Previous Setbacks
He was sidelined Australia's limited-overs series against New Zealand and India recently after medical tests showed a lower back issue.
He has a history of recurring issues, with setbacks in 2012-13, 2013-14 and 2015-16 causing him to miss three Australian summers in four years.
The bowler mentioned he would be bold in recovery efforts in his comeback strategy to ensure his availability for the contest.
He mentioned that it was unclear if he had started his bowling workouts as part of his comeback but conceded it was "getting tight" for him to be fit for the initial match.
Contingency Plans
If he's unavailable, ex-skipper Smith will assume leadership.
The talented all-rounder was recently pulled out from the ODI lineup for their one-day international series against India as a preventive step because of soreness in his side.
The selector characterized it as a "small issue and confirmed that he's scheduled to appear in the domestic first-class competition, so will be "well-prepared to be ready to bowl."
"We put so much time has gone into creating the schedule for him to be available for the opening match as an all-rounder," he elaborated.
"His involvement was limited to the initial matches anyway. The way he swings the willow in shorter formats, if it causes any delay for another day, we just made the decision to take a cautious route."
Fixture Details
The Historic Rivalry
From November 21, 2025 to January 7, 2026
