Giant-killer Hardie claims King Kohli

Aaron Hardie is yet to celebrate a 20th birthday or first-class debut but on Thursday he forged a reputation as a giant killer, claiming the international touring team's skipper for a second successive summer.

Hardie achieved something many bowlers around the world have struggled to do, single-handedly dismissing Virat Kohli.

MATCH CENTRE: CA XI v India

An allrounder who was born in the English coastal town of Bournemouth but started playing cricket as a child in Perth, achieved the feat on day two of India's tour game at the SCG.

Kohli, having otherwise exhibited trademark concentration and class throughout a 97-minute stay at the crease, offered the right-armer a return catch during Thursday's post-lunch session.

The 19-year-old's reflexes were up to the task.

Hardie pocketed the catch then nonchalantly tossed the ball in the air as India's captain trudged off, watching a scoreboard replay of his dismissal on 64, practising the shot that led to his downfall

"It was a pretty amazing feeling. It all happened very quickly. Because he was smacking me around the park a little bit and then next minute he hit one back to me," Hardie told reporters.

"A bit surreal."

Hardie finished with figures of 4-50 on Thursday, cleaning up the tail clinically after he had Rohit Sharma out edging for 40.

Hardie, who is captained by banned Test batsman Cameron Bancroft at Perth club Willetton, has form when it comes to performing in tour games.

Last year, Hardie dismissed England captain Joe Root – perhaps fortunately – and James Vince in the same over while playing for Western Australia in the first tour match of the Ashes summer.

Hardie is one of WA's most exciting prospects, having captained the state at under-17 and under-19 level and earned a rookie contract for 2018-19.

Hardie was named in WA's extended JLT Sheffield Shield squad for round three, having scored a century in the Toyota Futures League against an attack that featured fit-again Test pacemen Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins, but didn't make their final XI.

"Got picked in the squad a couple of weeks ago but then a couple of the big dogs came back in, Marcus Stoinis and Ashton Agar," he said.

Earlier this year, Hardie was flown over to New Zealand when he replaced injured fast bowler Jason Ralston in Australia's under-19 World Cup squad.

But Hardie suffered an injury himself and didn't take part in the final.

Domain Test Series v India

Dec 6-10: First Test, Adelaide Oval

Dec 14-18: Second Test, Perth Stadium

Dec 26-30: Third Test, MCG

Jan 3-7: Fourth Test, SCG

Australia squad: Tim Paine (c, wk), Josh Hazlewood (vc), Mitch Marsh (vc), Pat Cummins, Aaron Finch, Peter Handscomb, Marcus Harris, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Nathan Lyon, Shaun Marsh, Peter Siddle, Mitchell Starc, Chris Tremain

India squad: Virat Kohli (c), Murali Vijay, KL Rahul, Prithvi Shaw, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Hanuma Vihari, Rohit Sharma, Rishabh Pant (wk), Parthiv Patel (wk), Ravi Ashwin, Ravi Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar