The Australian skipper has taken 309 wickets in 71 appearances with an impressive average.
The Australian chief selector George Bailey has confirmed that skipper Cummins will play a "major part" in the forthcoming historic rivalry.
There were concerns that Cummins might miss the series due to a stress fracture in his back that remained unresolved.
Previous updates from the Australian camp suggested no final decision had been made regarding whether he would play, with the five-Test series scheduled to begin on 21 November in Western Australia.
The selector shared that the captain is progressing and remained hopeful about the likelihood of being involved.
"We're aware that the window is narrowing and multiple considerations at play, aside from the physical problem, but other factors as well," Bailey remarked.
"The outlook is good. [We are] really confident that he's going to play a key capacity. Hopefully it's the first Test. If not, we'll adjust."
Previous Setbacks
Cummins was ruled out the ODI and T20 games against India and New Zealand recently after scans revealed a lower back issue.
Previous incidents include of back injuries, with setbacks in 2012-13, 2013-14 and 2015-16 leading to absences from three Australian summers in four years.
The bowler mentioned he would be bold in recovery efforts in his recovery plan to ensure his availability for the series.
He mentioned that he did not know if he had started his bowling workouts as part of his rehabilitation but acknowledged it was "getting tight" for him to be fit for the initial match.
Alternative Arrangements
In case of absence, veteran batsman Smith will lead the side.
All-rounder Cameron Green was recently pulled out from Australia's squad for their limited-overs matches against the Asian giants as a precautionary measure because of discomfort in his torso.
The selector characterized it as a "small issue and stated that he's scheduled to appear in the state-level matches, so will be "ideally positioned to resume bowling."
"We put so much time has gone into developing the strategy for him to participate for the initial game as an batting and bowling option," he elaborated.
"Originally, he'd only feature in 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 approach this more conservatively."
Series Schedule
The Historic Rivalry
From November 21, 2025 to January 7, 2026
