Knocked India out at the hearing (8)
I believe the answer is:
audition
'the hearing' is the definition.
('audition' can be a synonym of 'hearing')
'knocked india out' is the wordplay.
'knocked' is an anagram indicator.
'india'+'out'='indiaout'
'indiaout' is an anagram of 'AUDITION'.
'at' is the link.
(Other definitions for audition that I've seen before include "Trial performance for an artiste" , "ability to hear" , "(To) assess (an actor)" , "Show trial?" , "Test for suitability as performer" .)