He has picked up the baton after Cahill was ruled out, possibly until the end of the season, after being diagnosed with a blood clot in his left arm.
Ricketts is happy to do any job asked of him and is looking to retain his place against Blackburn on Sunday after helping the team keep a clean sheet in midweek in the draw with Wigan.
Ricketts said: "It doesn't matter where I play, I just want to be out there.
"I saw Gaz (Cahill) briefly the other day; he came down to the training ground but I've not had chance to ask him for any advice.
"A few of my mates are centre-halves so I have been having some banter, telling them how easy it is to play there.
"Garry Monk, the Swansea captain, was my best mate when I was down there and he has been giving me a few pointers."
Ricketts is enjoying a glut of derbies after feeling isolated.
"I have never lived in an area where all the teams are so local to one another, " he said.
"At Swansea, it was an hour or so before you got to the Severn Bridge. Your nearest game was in Bristol.
"Likewise Hull was at the end of the motorway. So, it's nice to have these local games."
It is an important spell for Bolton in their bid to stave off relegation to the Championship.
Following the match with Blackburn, they host fellow strugglers Wolves next Saturday.
Ricketts said: "There are big games coming up against Blackburn and Wolves. It's so tight at the foot (of the table), it's important we produce performances.
"Hopefully those performances turn into points for us. All the lads are producing the effort in the games. You can see by the amount of ground they are covering."
On-loan Croatian striker Ivan Klasnic could come into contention following a calf injury.
Source: Team Talk
Source: Team Talk