The Australian skipper has claimed 309 wickets in 71 five-day games with an average of 22.10.
Australia's chair of selectors Bailey has stated that captain Pat Cummins will have a crucial role in the forthcoming historic rivalry.
Rumors had circulated that Cummins might sit out due to a stress fracture in his back that had not yet healed.
Initial reports from team management suggested no definitive call had been made regarding his involvement, with the five-Test series scheduled to begin on the 21st of November in Western Australia.
Bailey expressed that his recovery is on track and remained hopeful about the likelihood of being involved.
"We know that the window is narrowing and there are permutations around that, aside from his injury, but further aspects," he commented.
"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
The captain missed Australia's limited-overs series against India and New Zealand last month after examinations confirmed a stress reaction in his back.
There is a track record of recurring issues, with recurrences in multiple past seasons causing him to miss multiple domestic campaigns in a limited period.
Cummins stated he would be ""aggressive" and "take risks" in his recovery plan to make the squad for the contest.
Bailey noted that it was unclear if Cummins had begun bowling as part of his recovery but admitted it was "getting tight" for him to be fit for the first Test.
Contingency Plans
In case of absence, former captain Steve Smith will take over the captaincy.
The talented all-rounder was recently pulled out from the ODI lineup for their one-day international series against the Asian giants as a safety move because of an abdominal issue.
Bailey described it as a "minor" injury and mentioned that he'll feature in the Sheffield Shield, so will be "ideally positioned to deliver overs."
"Considerable effort has gone into developing the strategy for him to be available for the first Test as an all-rounder," he elaborated.
"He was only going to play the starting games anyway. His aggressive style the cricket bat in white-ball cricket, should it hinder progress for a short period, we just made the decision to approach this more conservatively."
Match Calendar
The Historic Rivalry
21 November 2025 - 7 January 2026
