The pace bowler has secured 309 wickets in 71 Test matches with an impressive average.
The Australian selection chief George Bailey has stated that captain Pat Cummins will play a "major part" in this winter's historic rivalry.
Speculation had been growing that the 32-year-old might be unavailable due to a stress fracture in his back that was still troubling him.
Earlier indications from team management suggested no official announcement had been made regarding his involvement, with the extended contest set to start on the 21st of November in the WACA.
Bailey expressed that Cummins is "building up" and remained hopeful about his chances of participating.
"We're aware that the window is narrowing and there are permutations involved, not just the back issue, but additional elements," Bailey remarked.
"It's positive. There's strong faith that he'll participate in a significant role. Hopefully it's the first Test. If not, we'll reassess."
Past Concerns
Cummins was ruled out the ODI and T20 games against India and New Zealand recently after medical tests showed a lumbar bone stress.
He has a history of spinal problems, with setbacks in several earlier campaigns leading to absences from three Australian summers in a short span.
The bowler mentioned he would be proactive in his approach in his recovery plan to ensure his availability for the contest.
He mentioned that it was unclear if Cummins had begun bowling as part of his recovery but admitted it was "getting tight" for him to recover fully for the initial match.
Contingency Plans
If he's unavailable, veteran batsman Smith will lead the side.
Versatile player Green was withdrawn recently from the ODI lineup for their limited-overs matches against the subcontinent side as a preventive step because of soreness in his side.
He labeled it as a "slight concern and stated that he's scheduled to appear in the domestic first-class competition, so will be "well-prepared to deliver overs."
"We put so much time has gone into developing the strategy for him to take part for the opening match as an dual-role player," he elaborated.
"His involvement was limited to the initial matches regardless. How he handles the bat in limited-overs, if it causes any delay for 24 more hours, we just made the decision to approach this more conservatively."
Match Calendar
The Historic Rivalry
Spanning from late 2025 to early 2026
