Doolan can take a giant leap to booking his place in the Australian team with a big score for the Chairman's XI in the three-day tour match against Sri Lanka at Manuka Oval, starting on Thursday.

Ponting rated Doolan as a bolter to fill his massive shoes for the start of the three Test series with Sri Lanka at Hobart's Blundstone Arena next week, with Usman Khawaja, Phil Hughes and Rob Quiney favoured to get the nod. All three have already had a taste of the Test arena, but Khawaja is the only one of the trio who will get a final crack at pressing their claims in Canberra.

While Doolan is a rank $17 outsider with bookmakers, he won't be overawed if presented with his maiden baggy green on his home ground.

''I feel like I'm as ready as I'll ever be,'' Doolan said. ''I've got a lot of confidence in my game, but I guess you never know when you get to Test cricket. It can be a really fickle game in a lot of ways, but I feel like I'm prepared pretty well and if I did get the call-up I'd give it my best shot.''

Results in the first-class arena this season suggest the 27-year-old Tasmanian wouldn't look out of place at Test level. Doolan has racked up 570 runs at the impressive average of 81.43 with two centuries, the most recent of those coming for Australia A against South Africa.

Taking on a near full-strength pace attack featuring Dale Steyn and Vernon Philander, Doolan rattled off an unbeaten 161 at the SCG to rocket into international contention.

''That 161 was a really nice feeling to know I could do it against the best, but it's a long road ahead,'' he said. ''Hopefully that month wasn't just a fluke and I can continue to put good scores on the board and keep my name up there as a future Test prospect.''

After making his first-class debut for Tasmania in 2008-09, the classy right-hander focused on competitive net sessions in the off-season rather than obsessing over major technical changes.

He also had the benefit of training alongside Ponting, who fine-tuned his game with the state squad while the Australian team was involved in one-day internationals and the Twenty20 World Cup.

''I definitely changed the way I trained,'' Doolan said. ''He's an ultimate professional in every sense of the word and trains harder than anyone else. Having an extended involvement with him this pre-season has been invaluable.''