Sachin's absence could be crucial: Dhoni

India's ODI captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni fears the absence of star batsman Sachin Tendulkar could be crucial in the five-match series against Sri Lanka.

"It's very difficult to fill the space not only because of his contributions with the bat and ball but also because of his impact in the dressing room," Dhoni said on Wednesday after the Indian team arrived in the Sri Lankan capital. "Losing Sachin Tendulkar at this point could be crucial."

Tendulkar injured his left elbow on Saturday while diving to take a catch during the second day of the third Test match. He batted in the second innings with a bandaged arm, scoring only 14. Sri Lanka won the match by eight wickets and took the Test series 2-1.

The 35-year-old Tendulkar is the most capped one-day player in the world with 417 matches and has scored a record 16,361 runs at an average of 44.

India goes into the series hoping for revenge after a 100-run defeat to Sri Lanka in the Asia Cup final last month.

"We are not doing too badly, it's just we are losing the key games," Dhoni said. "We shouldn't be too high or too low (in confidence). We'll try to keep a positive frame of mind."

Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardena said the one-day matches would be different.

"We will not be complacent," Jayawardena said. "We just need to make sure that we get our game plans right."

The first one-day international will be played in Rangiri Dambulla Stadium in central Sri Lanka on August 18.