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.
