India vs New Zealand: 'Don't rush comeback,' Zaheer Khan advises injured Hardik Pandya

Zaheer Khan has advised injured Hardik Pandya to be patient and not rush his comeback, while the former Indian cricketer mentioned that "it's not about coming back, it's about how you come back."

The former Indian cricketer also believes that the current Indian side has enough talent and which is why the absence of injured players Rohit Sharma, Hardik and Ishant Sharma will not hurt them ahead of their upcoming One-Day International (ODI) and Test series against New Zealand.

Hardik was ruled out of the two Tests after he left for London for a review of his back by spinal surgeon James Allibone. He has been out of action since September. Fast bowler Ishant twisted his right ankle during a Ranji Trophy game in Delhi and is unlikely to recover in time for the first Test, which is scheduled to begin on Feb. 21 at Wellington's Basin Reserve.

India suffered their latest injury blow when Rohit was retired hurt in the fifth and final T20I on Sunday. India's limited-overs deputy has reportedly been ruled out of the remainder New Zealand tour due to a calf injury. BCCI has named Mayank Agarwal as Rohit's replacement for the ODI series.

"What was the result of the previous series? It's not about that; it's about putting up a team there together. That's the strength right now this Indian team has. The strength of any squad is seen with their bench strength as well. We are in a position at the moment where the talent and pool of players we have is excellent.

The roles are shared by different people. We are in a great space as a team at the moment with regard to that," Zaheer said in a recent interview.

Once spearhead of the Indian team, Zaheer also mentioned that he has spoken to Hardik and has advised him to be patient in the frustrating injury phase.

"I have (spoken to him). I will say this to anyone who is a sportsman and is going through an injury phase. It's frustrating at times when you're away from the game, but it's very important to stay patient and control things in your control. It's about listening to your body.

You have to be patient through that process and you have to listen to the team which is around you -- the support staff, be it your doctor, your physio, your trainers. Those are the key people one should communicate with and control the controllables," Zaheer added.

Explaining further, Zaheer said, "I have always been advising everyone in the same fashion: you have to take your time; you cannot be impatient and rush your comeback. It's about when you come back, it should be in for a long haul."

Even as the director of cricket operations at Mumbai Indians, Zaheer wants Hardik to comeback 120 percent as the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) edition is still far away. "For MI, IPL is still a long way away, and for Hardik, it's important he should take his time to come back 120 per cent. I can say it by experience when anyone goes through injuries, it's not about coming back, it's about how you come back," Zaheer said.