Axar Patel and Shivam Mavi rescued India as they held off Sri Lanka for a thrilling final-ball victory in Tuesday's first T20I in Mumbai.
India were in trouble when they lost Shubman Gill (7), Suryakumar Yadav (7) and Sanju Samson (5) within seven overs, but Deepak Hooda (41 not out) and Axar (31 not out) put on an unbeaten partnership of 68 to carry the hosts to 162/5.
Axar then dismissed two after taking up the ball, while debutant Mavi claimed a four-wicket haul, though India were made to endure a nervy finish as both Kasun Rajitha (5) and Dilshan Madushanka (0) were run out in search of a match-winning boundary at the last.
The hosts made a poor start at the Wankhede Stadium, losing Gill lbw before Yadav handed Bhanuka Rajapaksa a simple catch from Chamika Karunaratne's first delivery.
India crawled to 77/3 before suffering another huge blow as Wanindu Hasaranga caught Ishan Kishan (37), but they eventually posted a respectable target thanks to the efforts of Axar and Hooda – both of whom would play key roles in the dramatic finale.
Mavi's superb showing then seemed to have put India in complete control as the visitors were reduced to 132/8, but Karunaratne (23 not out) teed up a frantic finale with two huge sixes.
Requiring five runs from three balls, Sri Lanka were suddenly favourites, but Hooda and Axar combined to run out Rajitha before Kishan sent stumps flying as Madushanka went for two runs from the final ball, sealing a dramatic win.
India take the initiative
India approached Tuesday's contest having gone unbeaten throughout their last 10 multi-game men's T20I series (W9 D1), though Sri Lanka's late recovery appeared likely to put their fine run of form under threat.
However, the Men in Blue held on in a frantic finale to take a 1-0 lead over their visitors, who were the last team to record a T20I series triumph against them in July 2021.
Mavi makes his mark
After struggling with the bat for long periods, India needed their bowlers to come up with the goods, and debutant Mavi obliged.
The 24-year-old recorded impressive figures of 4-22 as he claimed the crucial wickets of Pathum Nissanka and Dhanajaya de Silva on a stellar debut.
Strasbourg 1-1 Paris Saint-Germain: Messi strikes as PSG seal record-breaking Ligue 1 title
Lionel Messi was on target as Paris Saint-Germain sealed their record-breaking 11th Ligue 1 title, despite being held to a 1-1 draw at Strasbourg on Saturday.
Messi, who will leave PSG when his contract expires at the end of the season, broke the deadlock with his 16th goal of the season just before the hour at Stade de la Meinau.
Strasbourg substitute Kevin Gameiro thwarted Christophe Galtier's side with a 79th-minute leveller, but the point was enough for PSG to secure a successful Ligue 1 title defence with a match to spare.
Strasbourg's top-flight status was also confirmed after the draw for Frederic Antonetti's hosts maintained their six-point cushion over 17th-placed Nantes, who failed to beat Lille.
Inter 3-2 Atalanta: Nerazzurri seal top-four finish after flying San Siro start
Inter secured Champions League qualification in their penultimate game of the Serie A season, dealing a fatal blow to Atalanta's own top-four hopes with a 3-2 win at San Siro.
The Nerazzurri – finalists in Europe's premier club competition this term – stormed into a two-goal lead within just two minutes and 49 seconds after Romelu Lukaku and Nicolo Barella were on target.
Atalanta needed a result to keep their slim hopes of a top-four finish alive, and they were handed a lifeline by Mario Pasalic before the interval on Saturday.
Yet Inter added a deserved third through Lautaro Martinez after the break, proving Andre Onana's late own goal a mere Atalanta consolation, as the Nerazzurri moved eight points clear of their fifth-placed visitors.
Lukaku only needed 39 seconds to put Inter ahead, timing his run from Martinez's throughball before rounding Marco Sportiello and tapping into an empty net.
Atalanta found themselves further behind by the three-minute mark, Barella hammering a rebound into the roof of the net after Sportiello twice saved from Federico Dimarco.
Hakan Calhanoglu was denied a third by the offside flag when he netted with a ferocious volley, before Andre Onana was forced into action by Rasmus Hojlund and Teun Koopmeiners.
Atalanta halved the arrears nine minutes before half-time, Pasalic hooking a finish beyond Onana following a goalmouth scramble.
Calhanoglu drew a flying save from Sportiello as Atalanta wilted after the interval, Inter managing the game in typically assured fashion.
Martinez stretched Inter's lead further when Marcelo Brozovic teed up a tap-in 13 minutes from time, before Luis Muriel's powerful long-range strike deflected in off the unfortunate Onana as the Nerazzurri just held on for victory.
Sevilla 1-2 Real Madrid: Rodrygo powers Los Blancos to comeback win
Rodrygo scored a deadly double as Real Madrid battled from behind to win 2-1 at 10-man Sevilla in LaLiga on Saturday.
Carlo Ancelotti's side strengthened their grasp on second place in the league after recovering from an early setback to triumph at Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan.
Rodrygo's free-kick cancelled out Rafa Mir's early opener in an entertaining first half in Andalusia, where Madrid played without their star duo of Karim Benzema and Vinicius Junior.
Rodrygo's second goal with just over 20 minutes remaining proved decisive before Marcos Acuna was dismissed as Madrid moved four points clear of rivals Atletico Madrid, who host Real Sociedad on Sunday.
Mir fired Sevilla into a third-minute lead after reacting quickly to sweep into the top-left corner when Bryan Gil's initial effort ricocheted kindly into his path.
Rodrygo spurned a glorious opportunity to equalise shortly after, dragging wide when unmarked from Lucas Vazquez's low cross – but the Madrid winger soon made amends.
An unsighted Yassine Bounou was deceived as Rodrygo whipped a 25-yard free-kick into the bottom-right corner after 29 minutes, although Sevilla should have been ahead at half-time.
Erik Lamela volleyed against the post with Thibaut Courtois stranded, before the forward lifted a back-post chance over after an inviting Alejandro Gomez delivery.
Rodrygo somehow lofted over when one-on-one with Bounou after the break, while Mir turned narrowly wide from Acuna's pinpoint centre.
Yet Rodrygo proved the difference after 69 minutes, coolly finishing a rapid counter-attack by sliding into the bottom-right corner to down Sevilla, who saw Acuna dismissed later on for a mindless lunge on Vazquez.
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