NAGPUR: Skipper Kumar Sangakkara lashed 78 off just 37 balls to inspire Sri Lanka to a 29-run win over India in the first Twenty20 international on Wednesday.

Sangakkara hit 11 fours and two sixes, his fourth Twenty20 fifty off 21 balls equaling the fastest by a Sri Lankan, until he was run out off the final delivery of the innings.

Sri Lanka amassed 215 for five after being put in on a good pitch and then restricted the hosts to 186 for nine.

India dropped three easy catches, missed an easy run out and repeatedly misfielded to spoil their hopes at the halfway mark.

The Indians were set back by the early dismissal of the explosive Virender Sehwag, caught at deep point off paceman Nuwan Kulasekara (1-36). His 14-ball 26 contained three fours and a six. The in-form Gautam Gambhir (55) tried to counter-attack, hitting the second fastest Twenty20 half-century, off 19 balls, with the help of 11 fours, but fell while trying to paddle sweep Mathews in the ninth over.

Spurred by the key wicket of Gambhir, the islanders triggered a middle-order collapse to register their first win on the tour after losing the preceding Test series 2-0.

Sangakkara earlier played a captain’s knock, putting on 74 runs in 6.1 overs for the second wicket with Tillakaratne Dilshan (34) after the visitors were put in to bat.

Sangakkara, 32, hit left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha for two fours and a six to race to his fourth half-century in his 19th Twenty20 international before being run out off the last ball of the innings.

Chamara Kapugedera further boosted the total with a quickfire 47 off 20 balls with seven boundaries and a six.

But Jayasuriya, who slammed Ashish Nehra for five fours in an over, could not make the most of the reprieve, with Ishant taking a fine catch off debutant Ashok Dinda.

Dilshan, dropped on 13 by Ishant off his own bowling, combined with Sangakkara to take Sri Lanka to 89-1 after 10 overs before being bowled by a yorker from Rohit Sharma.

India struck again to remove Mahela Jayawardene cheaply for nine but Kapugedera and Sangakkara made light of the setback, unleashing a flurry of hits to the fence to unsettle the Indians.

The second and final Twenty20 match will be played in Mohali on Saturday.

SCOREBOARD

Sri Lanka innings:

T. Dilshan b R. Sharma 34

S. Jayasuriya c I. Sharma b Dinda 26

K. Sangakkara run out 78

M. Jayawardene b Y. Pathan 9

C. Kapugedera b Nehra 47

A. Mathews not out 15

Extras: 6

Total: (for 5 wkts) 215

Fall of wkts: 1-43, 2-117, 3-126, 4-195, 5-215.

Bowling: Nehra 4-0-52-1 (w-2), Ishant 4-0-22-0,

Dinda 3-0-34-1, Pathan 4-0-54-1, Ojha 2-0-27-0, R.

Sharma 3-0-22-1

India innings:

G. Gambhir b Mathews 55

V. Sehwag c Mathews b Kulasekara 26

M. Dhoni c Pushpakumara b Jayasuriya 9

Y. Singh c Kulasekara b Mathews 6

R. Sharma run out 3

S. Raina c Dilshan b Pushpakumara 21

Y. Pathan c Malinga b Jayasuriya 0

A. Dinda b Dilshan 19

A. Nehra run out 22

P. Ojha not out 10

I. Sharma not out 5

Extras: 10

Total: (for 9 wkts) 186

Fall of wkts: 1-32, 2-93, 3-99, 4-104, 5-105,

6-115, 7-129, 8-167, 9-173.

Bowling: Kulasekara 3-0-36-1, Fernando 3-0-26-0

(w-1), Malinga 2-0-29-0 (w-2), Mathews 4-0-30-2

(w-1), Jayasuriya 4-0-19-2 (w-1), Pushpakumara

3-0-27-1, Dilshan 1-0-14-1

Next match: Mohali, Saturday