KUALA LUMPUR: Former international Datuk James Selvaraj is counting on Lee Zii Jia to fire up his teammates against Denmark in their final Group D tie of the Thomas Cup on Tuesday in Chengdu, China.
James believes that Zii Jia has what it takes to overcome world No. 1 Axelsen, and if he does that, it will set the Malaysian team in the mood to upset the European champions.
James said world No. 10 Zii Jia appears to be in better shape than Axelsen, whom he is expected to face in the first singles.
Against Hong Kong yesterday, Zii Jia produced a commanding 21-18, 21-18 triumph over world No. 15 Lee Cheuk Yiu as Malaysia chalked up a 5-0 overall win.
Though Denmark also hammered Hong Kong 5-0 a day later, Axelsen struggled against Cheuk Yiu before eking out a 21-14, 18-21, 21-19 win.
"Everything said and done, Malaysia played really well against Hong Kong.
"This was possible because Zii Jia delivered the first point.
"It boosted the morale and mood of the squad.
"The same with Denmark. If Zii Jia wins the first point, our doubles will grow in confidence and their opponents will be under a lot of pressure.
"I really hope to see our boys beat Denmark," James added.
Apart from Axelsen, Denmark also have other big names like world No. 4 Anders Antonsen, and world No. 4 men's pair Kim Astrup-Anders Skaarup Rasmussen.
Despite Axelsen holding a slim 5-3 advantage over Zii Jia in their head-to-head record, James believes that in a team event, anything is possible.
"From what I've observed, Zii Jia seems to be in better form than Axelsen currently.
"Against Hong Kong, Axelsen was struggling, lacking powerful overhead smashes and finesse in his game.
"At the other corner, it's working for Zii Jia. If he maintains this level of play, we have a good chance of upsetting Denmark," James added.