Coming in to bat after the fall of opener Dimuth Karunaratne, Sangakkara jogged in at the P Sara Oval with the home team placed a 1/1 in reply to the 393 all out posted by the Indians.
The whole stadium reverberated with applause when the 37-year-old left-hander came out of the dressing room.
The standing ovation continued as Sangakkara walked past the guard of honour formed by the Indian team. The veteran shook hands with India skipper Virat Kohli before taking the crease.
Although the series is a three-match affair, Sangakkara would be retiring at the end of this game.