Ishant said the Indian team would also miss opener Virender Sehwag.

“They are our key players. Their absence will definitely be felt. The absence of Zaheer will mean more load on other pacers. He is a great bowler, who was in a very fine form and he used to help me a lot in the matches. It will be difficult for us to play without him, but we will try our best to fill the gap,” he said.

Ishant said he was looking forward to the season. “I am practising hard. We have to constantly try and improve our performance level,” he said.