The Australian skipper has claimed 309 Test scalps in 71 Test matches with an average of 22.10.
Australia's selection chief George Bailey has confirmed that captain Pat Cummins will be a central figure in the upcoming historic rivalry.
There were concerns that Cummins might sit out due to a stress fracture in his back that was still troubling him.
Previous updates from team management suggested no definitive call had been made regarding Cummins' participation, with the extended contest set to start on November 21 in Perth.
The selector shared that the captain is progressing and was "optimistic" about the likelihood of participating.
"We know that the window is narrowing and there are permutations involved, not just his injury, but other factors as well," Bailey remarked.
"It's positive. There's strong faith that he'll participate in a significant role. With luck it's the first Test. Otherwise, we'll reassess."
Past Concerns
The captain missed the white-ball matches against India and New Zealand recently after examinations confirmed a lower back issue.
He has a history of recurring issues, with recurrences in 2012-13, 2013-14 and 2015-16 causing him to miss three Australian summers in a limited period.
The bowler mentioned he would be bold in recovery efforts in his rehabilitation process to secure his spot for the series.
He mentioned that there was no confirmation if Cummins had begun bowling as part of his comeback but conceded it was "becoming urgent" for him to recover fully for the initial match.
Contingency Plans
In case of absence, veteran batsman Smith will lead the side.
All-rounder Cameron Green was withdrawn recently from Australia's squad for their limited-overs matches against the Asian giants as a precautionary measure because of an abdominal issue.
The selector characterized it as a "slight concern and stated that he's scheduled to appear in the Sheffield Shield, so will be "well-prepared to deliver overs."
"We put so much time has gone into developing the strategy for him to participate for the first Test as an batting and bowling option," he elaborated.
"His involvement was limited to the first two ODIs regardless. How he handles the cricket bat in white-ball cricket, if it causes any delay for 24 more hours, we opted to adopt a safer strategy."
Series Schedule
The Historic Rivalry
Spanning from late 2025 to early 2026
