India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni on Monday said his side will miss explosive opening batsman Virender Sehwag in the four-nation Asia Cup tournament. Sehwag, who grabbed headlines during India’s tour of Australia due to differences with the Indian captain, was dropped for the tournament being played in  Bangladesh due to poor form with the bat.

“Unfortunately [Sehwag’s] not there. We will miss him; he is one of the most dangerous openers. But this means we have one space in the playing XI right now. It may go to somebody like Yusuf Pathan so that we can balance the flair and the firepower and the stability that’s needed,” Dhoni said ahead of India’s opening clash against Sri Lanka.

India will play their first game of the tournament against Sri Lanka, at the Shere Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur on Tuesday. “Over the years the [tournament] format has changed in the sense that now there are four good sides. It is a very short series, and it is very important to start on a positive note because it’s not very often that you play in a tournament where all the Asian countries are playing together,” Dhoni was quoted as saying by Board of Control for Cricket in India’s portal.

“It’s not that we have done really badly [recently]. Of course, we had a patch where we have not done consistently well. [However,] when it comes to the ODI format, I think we have done quite well. We are hoping that we will stick to it and be consistent throughout the tournament,” Dhoni said. The Indian captain opined that Sehwag’s absence provides a good opportunity for Ravindra Jadeja or Yusuf Pathan to cement their place in the side. “I think it’s an opportunity for someone like a Yusuf or a Ravindra Jadeja to do well and grab that No. 6 position,” he said.