Former world No. 1 Lee Chong Wei kept his emphatic return by defeating world No. 4 Srikanth Kidambi from India 21-16, 21-15 at the Sudirman Cup on Monday. But the Malaysian said has yet to reach his best form.

"I am at 70% right now," said Lee. "I need more time and more games to recover because of my eight-month absence from competition."

Lee's victory gave Malaysia, who shocked three-time champions South Korea 3-2 before, a narrow 3-2 victory over India to guarantee the first place in Group D, which means Malaysia will be seeded in the draw of the knockout stage.

"I really want to play at the Sudirman Cup during my ban. I am still happy about registering on time. I think this is my last Sudirman Cup," the 32-year-old said.

Before tonight's game, the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) selected Lee, the runner-up at the 2011 and 2013 World Championships, to take Chong Wei Feng's place to play in this year's World Championship despite a low world ranking of 46.

"Wei Feng and I didn't have a final say. The BAM made its own decision. Fortunately, I got the opportunity to play at the World Championships and I will give my best to prove myself."

"As an athlete, I can understand how disappointed Wei Feng is," Lee added.