Yusuf (left) and Irfan Pathan were India's heroes in Colombo

Brothers Irfan and Yusuf Pathan shared an incredible stand of 59 runs in four overs as India beat Sri Lanka in a thrilling Twenty20 international.

A below-strength Sri Lanka made 171-4 from their 20 overs, led by stand-in skipper Tillakaratne Dilshan's 61.

India were struggling at 115-7 after leg-spinner Malinga Bandara took 3-32.

But the Pathans combined superbly - and Irfan (33 not out) smashed Lasith Malinga for a six over mid-wicket to win the game with four balls to spare.

Malinga (0-38) was playing his first international for nearly a year because of injury, but he and fellow paceman Dilhara Fernando (0-44) bore the brunt of the Pathans' assault as some wayward bowling was punished.

606: DEBATE I always knew that Yusuf was a real match winner, and this time Irfan got the better of him with more runs Natcanadian

Leading his country for only the second time, Dilshan won the toss and elected to bat first, carved out his maiden Twenty20 international fifty and nearly guided his side through the entire innings until he holed out in the deep off the last ball of the 17th over.

Dilshan's opening partner Sanath Jayasuriya hit a characteristically quickfire 33 off 17 balls, but Sri Lanka's hopes of a score in excess of 200 were ended when spinners Yusuf Pathan and Ravindra Jadeja put the brakes on.

In contrast to Sri Lanka, India fielded their regular one-day side, but saw opener Virender Sehwag run out cheaply.

No visiting batsman could improve on Suresh Raina's 35 as Bandara ripped through the middle order, while the first ball of Jehan Mubarak's occasional off-spin saw the dangerous Yuvraj Singh (32) caught behind.

Fit-again Malinga was playing his first international game for nearly a year

But Yusuf Pathan launched a brutal attack on Bandara - smashing a four and two sixes off his final over - and Irfan, who had been India's hero with the ball when they won the inaugural World Twenty20 in 2007, won the match in style.

"We were in a very good position and then we played a few bad shots and the pressure was on us," admitted India captain Mahendra Dhoni.

"The openers have most often given us brilliant starts, but the good thing is that we have middle-order batsman who can be relied upon to see the team through.

"We had two new batsmen at the crease and then they used a leg-spinner and a left-arm spinner and that made it difficult for us to even rotate the strike.

"But the Pathan brothers brought was back into the game. Overall, it's a good lesson for us."

Dilshan was subsequently fined 20% of his match fee for a slow over-rate by match referee Chris Broad, after Sri Lanka were found to be two overs short of their target.

The other Sri Lankan players were fined 10% of their match fees.

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