Indian captain Virat Kohli took some time off for a social cause ahead of the third and the final T20I against New Zealand, asking thousands of school children to stay away from drugs and substance abuse.

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, state DGP Loknath Behara and three other Indian team members including Dinesh Karthik and Axar Patel were also among those who took the oath along with the children at a packed Chandrasekharan Nair stadium.

The occasion was the inaugural ceremony of the anti-drug campaign by Kerala Police titled ‘Yes to Cricket and No to Drugs’. A special postal cover was also released on the occasion.

The Chief Minister along with Virat, Karthik and Axar also released pink balloons. The social endeavor of the Kerala Police took the step after seeing the increasing instances of drug abuse in the younger generation.

A senior police official asserted that since cricket is the favorite sport of India and cricketers inspire the youth in a big way, the police force took the decision to make use of the opportunity to drive home the message.