Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, looking in shape after a fortnight's break, struck a positive note on the eve of the team's departure to Sri Lanka for the Asia Cup that will be accompanied by a tri-series also involving New Zealand and a three-Test series against the hosts.

While accepting that Yuvi, who has been omitted because of injury, would be missed in the middle-order, MSD said that the Asia Cup represents a vital tournament vis-à-vis preparations for the 2011 World Cup in the sub-continent.

"It is an important tournament. We will be playing one-day cricket after a long time. We played IPL and then the T20 World Cup. There was a gap. We will be playing in Dambula. We are playing at almost the full strength. The conditions in Dambula will be different because it is not a high scoring venue. It will be very important to keep that in mind," he said.

When asked regarding alterations being made in the team, he answered, "This is the time that you can afford to make a few changes as you get closer to the World Cup. You do not want to do too many changes in your side. In case you are forced to drop someone due to injury, you bring in a replacement. Once we get a set of players, we want to play with them. This is the time that we can experiment. We have about eight to 10 months left now."

On Yuvraj's nonattendance, he opined that although the southpaw would be missed, his absence presents an opportunity for others to step in and deliver. Further, the skipper said Yuvraj was good enough to work his way back into the national team.

Dhoni refused to get into team combination for the Asia Cup, saying it was too early to dwell on the subject considering he was yet to look at the pitch and asses the conditions in Sri Lanka. (With Inputs from Agencies)