Pat Cummins has taken 309 wickets in 71 appearances with an impressive average.
The Australian chair of selectors Bailey has stated that pace spearhead Cummins will be a central figure in the upcoming historic rivalry.
Rumors had circulated that the veteran bowler might be unavailable due to a persistent back stress problem that was still troubling him.
Earlier indications from the squad suggested no final decision had been made regarding his involvement, with the five-Test series kicking off on November 21 in Western Australia.
Bailey expressed that Cummins is "building up" and felt positive about his chances of being involved.
"We know that time is getting short and there are permutations at play, not just his injury, but additional elements," Bailey remarked.
"It's positive. There's strong faith that he'll participate in a major part. Ideally from the opening match. Otherwise, we'll reassess."
Past Concerns
He was sidelined the ODI and T20 games against New Zealand and India last month after examinations confirmed a stress reaction in his back.
He has a history of back injuries, with recurrences in 2012-13, 2013-14 and 2015-16 causing him to miss multiple domestic campaigns in a short span.
The bowler mentioned he would be ""aggressive" and "take risks" in his recovery plan to ensure his availability for the series.
He mentioned that it was unclear if the captain had resumed bowling as part of his rehabilitation but acknowledged it was "getting tight" for him to recover fully for the initial match.
Alternative Arrangements
Should Cummins not be fit, former captain Steve Smith will lead the side.
All-rounder Cameron Green was recently pulled out from the national team for their one-day international series against the subcontinent side as a preventive step because of discomfort in his torso.
Bailey described it as a "slight concern and mentioned that he's scheduled to appear in the domestic first-class competition, so will be "well-prepared to resume bowling."
"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," the selector detailed.
"Originally, he'd only feature in the starting games regardless. His aggressive style the willow in shorter formats, if it causes any delay for 24 more hours, we opted to adopt a safer strategy."
Match Calendar
The Historic Rivalry
Spanning from late 2025 to early 2026
