The Australian skipper has secured 309 wickets in 71 five-day games with an stellar bowling average.
Australia's chief selector the selector has stated that pace spearhead Cummins will have a crucial role in the forthcoming historic rivalry.
There were concerns that Cummins might be unavailable due to a persistent back stress problem that remained unresolved.
Previous updates from team management suggested no definitive call had been made regarding Cummins' participation, with the extended contest kicking off on 21 November in Western Australia.
He revealed that Cummins is "building up" and remained hopeful about the prospects of participating.
"We're aware that time is getting short and various factors around that, not just the back issue, but further aspects," he commented.
"The outlook is good. There's strong faith that he's going to play a major part. Hopefully from the opening match. If not, then we'll pick it up."
Previous Setbacks
Cummins was ruled out the ODI and T20 games against New Zealand and India last month after scans revealed a lower back issue.
There is a track record of back injuries, with recurrences in multiple past seasons leading to absences from three Australian summers in four years.
He emphasized he would be proactive in his approach in his comeback strategy to ensure his availability for the series.
Bailey noted that there was no confirmation if the captain had resumed bowling as part of his recovery but acknowledged it was "becoming urgent" for him to be fit for the first Test.
Alternative Arrangements
Should Cummins not be fit, former captain Steve Smith will assume leadership.
All-rounder Cameron Green was recently pulled out from the ODI lineup for their limited-overs matches against the subcontinent side as a precautionary measure because of an abdominal issue.
He labeled it as a "minor" injury and confirmed that he's scheduled to appear in the Sheffield Shield, so will be "in a good place to resume bowling."
"Considerable effort has gone into building out the plan for him to be available for the opening match as an dual-role player," the selector detailed.
"Originally, he'd only feature in the starting games in any case. How he handles the bat in limited-overs, should it hinder progress for 24 more hours, we just made the decision to adopt a safer strategy."
Fixture Details
The Historic Rivalry
Spanning from late 2025 to early 2026
