KUALA LUMPUR: He is known to be a class act of selflessness. Time and again, he has shown that his overall contribution on the pitch is what matters most. A chipper for any task he is taken to, this Johor lad who just turns 23 today is always prepared to give full commitment.

National team defender Baljit Singh Sarjab has only one birthday wish when he blows out the lights on the candles on his birthday cake today — to see Malaysia regain the stranglehold.

Things have not been going t0o well for the Johor-born Baljit of late. His progress has been hindered by knee problems despite his ontributions to Kuala Lumpur Hockey Club (KLHC) — who sit at the summit of the table in the Malaysian Hocky League.

Baljit has been struggling to find the rhythm to complement his penalty corner conversions — something which he specialises in — this season. Despite finishing topscorer last season with 12 goals, he has only two to his credit in the league thus far.

However, he remains unperturbed and suggests that as long as he plays well and is able to give good contribution to the national team, he’ll be very happy.

“What I hope is for the national team to realise their potential. We've stagnated for too long and it's not good.

“I just want to do well and make significant contribution to the national team. If I can achieve this, then it will not only be a wish come true, but also a dream come true,” said Baljit, who shares the same birthday as his national team-mate and Sapura midfielder Jivan Mohan.

In spite of his determination, it looks like Baljit must take a back seat before finally realising his professed ambitions. He’s been living on borrowed time since last year when he busted his left knee ligament.

And although he was supposed to go under the knife early this month, he opted for a later date to see out the remainder of the MHL fixtures.

“I’ll be going for the knee surgery once the season is over. It would be next month. Unfortunately, I’ll be missing out the Ipoh tournaments (Razak Cup and Asian Champions Trophy). However, I’m confident that I’ll be back with the team for the Commonwealth Games ( New Delhi) and the Asian Games (Guangzhou),” said the Mass Communication student at University Putra Malaysia.

“I hope I don’t have to wish for the same thing again next year,” he smirked.