Put into bat on a lively track, which had fair amount of bounce and seam movement, India were skittled out for a paltry 101 in 18.5 overs with rookie pace trio of Kasun Rajitha (3/29), Dashun Shanaka (3/16) and Dushmantha Chameera (2/14) doing bulk of the damage.
Sri Lanka reached the target with two overs to spare. Senior players Dinesh Chandimal (35) and Chamara Kapugedara (25) made useful contributions.
It turned out to be a blow for Mahendra Singh Dhoni after the team won 3-0 in the series Down Under to achieve the top rank in ICC table for shortest format.
If Rajitha blew away the top-order, it was Shanaka and Chameera, who decimated the middle and lower-order with only Ravichandran Ashwin with his unbeaten 31 helping home team cross the three-figure.
Such was the abject surrender by the Indian batsmen in the wake of extra bounce and moving deliveries that only Yuvraj Singh (10) and Suresh Raina (20) reached the double figures apart from Ashwin.
When Sri Lanka batted, they lost a few wickets in between but the target was too small to defend as the 39-run stand between skipper Chandimal and Kapugedara turned out to be a clincher. Milinda Siriwardana struck 21 off 14 balls as he finished the match with a flourish hitting Jasprit Bumrah for a six and a boundary.
There was no dearth of effort from the Indian bowlers with Ashish Nehra (2/21 in 3 overs) and Ashwin (2/13 in 3 overs) got a couple of wickets each but it was the failure of the batsmen that hurt India the most.
Earlier it turned out to be a 'Kasun-Dasun' show as Rajitha and Chanaka made full use of a green top bowling out a fancied Indian batting line-up in 18.5 overs.
22-year-old debutant Rajitha rocked India on the back foot with a triple strike in his sensational opening spell before another youngster Shanaka, who had played just one T20I before today, grabbed three wickets and Dushmantha Chameera, who has played four Tests, left the hosts in tatters at 58 for 7.
Only a late rearguard action by Ravichandran Ashwin, who top-scored with an unbeaten 31 off 24 balls, inclusive of 5 fours by playing authentic cricket shots on a track that sported some grass, saved the team from being bowled out for their lowest ever total.
Shanaka secured his third wicket by trapping Hardik Pandya, playing across, leg before as India slumped to 58 for 7 after 11 overs and were in danger of beating their own record-low of 74 against Australia when Ravindra Jadeja was trapped leg before by off spinner Sachithra Senanayake.
But Ashwin saved them the ignominy by playing orthodox cricket shots with flicks, glances and cuts for fours as he ended up being the highest scorer of the innings.
His 9th wicket stand of 28 with Ashish Nehra (6) was also the best of the innings, overtaking the 27 put up for the third wicket by Dhawan (9) and Raina.
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