Jadeja case went too far - Anderson

James Anderson has said that he believes his ICC charge for his clash with Ravindra Jadeja at Trent Bridge, which left him facing the prospect of a ban before the case was thrown out, went "too far" and he was relieved that "common sense" prevailed.

Anderson was laid with a Level 3 charge following the first Test after an altercation inside the pavilion where India claimed Anderson had shoved Jadeja without provocation. He was cleared before the fourth Test and the judge's verdict was critical of a number of aspects of the case.

"I felt it went too far - the whole process was too much," Anderson told Sky Sports in an interview with Ian Ward. "It could have been dealt with on the day, it could have been dealt with after the game but unfortunately it turned into a long, drawn out process but thankfully common sense prevailed in the end."

Following the initial charge, Anderson played the Lord's and Ageas Bowl Tests with the threat of a ban hanging over him. His performance in Southampton, where he took seven wickets, helped turn the series around for England after they had gone 1-0 following defeat at Lord's but Anderson admitted it was a challenge to keep his mind on the cricket.

"It was probably one of the most stressful periods that I've been through whilst I've been in the England team," he said. "It was constantly there - whether it was talking to solicitors, whether it was 'we've got meetings here'; whatever it was, it was a constant thing.

"I just wanted it to go away so I could concentrate on the cricket. But I thought that everyone dealt with it brilliantly. The ECB were great; they backed me all the way and I'm very grateful for that."

Anderson continued to insist he does not go too far with his aggression on the field, reiterating it as an important part of his game even though he appeared to chirp less as the India series went on and bowled better.

"I was just having a chat off the field," he said. "When we're on the field out in the middle, the umpires are there to oversee that - if they think we overstep the mark they step in and take over; if it's serious enough they'll report it to the match referee and it gets dealt with like that.

"It's something I've always been aware of. I feel like I need to be aggressive on the field because I'm not a big presence on the field, like Chris Tremlett or Stuart Broad; being aggressive has helped me do my job for the team.

"But I'm very aware of the boundaries and of overstepping the mark - and if I've ever been close the umpires are straight on it; there are stump microphones there. I'm very aware of everything there and I don't overstep the mark."