Australia are worried about Mitchell Starc's fitness ahead of the Sydney Test which begins on Friday.

The fast bowler sent down 131.2 overs in the four Tests against India despite carrying a painful rib concern for most of the Boxing Day match in Melbourne.

Australia bowled more balls in Melbourne than they have in any Test since the 2022-23 home summer opener against the West Indies in Perth. With only three days to recover in between, the hosts have been extremely careful with the fitness of their fast bowlers.

So much so that some of the battle-weary players opted for celebratory protein shakes over winners' beers in Melbourne on Monday.

"A couple of boys won't have a beer," Cummins said after the 184-run win over India on Monday. "Some others might not (and opt instead for) water and some protein shakes and an early night."

Cummins was bullish that Starc would be fit to play his home Test despite acknowledging that his injury had left him wincing at the start of each spell before he warmed up. Coach Andrew McDonald is also cautious.

"We'll see how everyone recovers," McDonald said. "Clearly, bowling last, it was a pretty attritional game, something that we're not used to in the last few years.

"We'll see how the bodies are. Clearly 'Starcy' is carrying something of some description. We'll assess that. But other than that, it looks as though we got through pretty well unscathed.

"Short turnaround, recovery is important, and we'll assess what the team looks like in Sydney based upon the surface, as we always do."