Thiruvananthapuram: Indian captain Virat Kohli took time off for a social cause ahead of the series decider against New Zealand, urging 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 Akshar Patel were among those who took the oath 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 Kohli and the other players also released pink balloons.

The social endeavour of the Kerala Police was in the backdrop of increasing instances of drug abuse in the younger generation.

A senior police official said that since cricket is the favourite sport of the country and cricketers influence the youth in a big way, the police force decided to make use of the opportunity to drive home the message.