Kumar Sangakkara won the toss and new-ball bowlers Kulasekara and Welegedara gave his team the perfect start by snaring quick wickets and destroying India's batting line-up.
Virender Sehwag (42) was the lone batsman in the top order to offer some resistance, but India's total of 245 all out was achieved only by virtue of a workmanlike 106 from Suresh Raina and his sixth-wicket century stand with Ravindra Jadeja (38).
Kulasekara removed Gautam Gambhir for a second-ball duck in his first over in bizarre fashion, a delivery pitched just outside leg stump flicking a protruding edge of the left-hander's thigh pad and cannoning into the stumps.
Welegedara claimed wickets in successive overs although both Virat Kohli and Yuvraj Singh - and Mahendra Singh Dhoni later - did themselves little credit with their poor shot selection.
One-drop batsman Kohli, India's top performer with the bat in the series, attempted a flamboyant drive and only managed an edge which Sangakkara gleefully accepted, and Yuvraj Singh departed in similar fashion in the next over from the left-arm pacer.
Dhoni looked good during his brief stay, but he too pushed at a delivery from Kulasekara and perished as the edge flew to Sangakkara.
At the other end, Sehwag batted on serenely, hammering Kulasekara for three boundaries in four deliveries early in his innings and easily finding the ropes thereafter.
He fell just short of the half-century, attempting to guide a rising delivery from Kulasekara to third man, but only steering straight to Sangakkara.
His dismissal brought Raina and Jadeja together and the duo rebuilt slowly, accumulating runs through excellent singles and twos rather than boundaries.
Raina eventually opened up as he closed on his half-century and reached the mark with consecutive boundaries off Thissara Perera.
Sri Lanka, however, regrouped during the second drinks interval and Tillakaratne Dilshan broke the stand by trapping Jadeja in front, the bowler a touch fortunate with his appeal as replays suggested an inside edge.
Raina went on to reach his third ODI century, but Kulasekara and Welegedara returned at the death to trigger another collapse.
Kulasekara finished with four for 48, while Welegedara claimed three for 53.
Teams
India: Gautam Gambhir, Virender Sehwag, Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Suresh Raina, Ravindra Jadeja, Harbhajan Singh, S Sreesanth, Ashish Nehra, Zaheer Khan.
Sri Lanka: Upul Tharanga, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene, Thilan Samaraweera, Thilina Kandamby, Thissara Perera, Suraj Randiv, Nuwan Kulasekara, Thilan Thushara, Chanaka Welegedara.
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