Ravindra Jadeja case went too far, but common sense prevailed - James Anderson talks about 'pushgate' controversy

James Anderson says the Ravindra Jadeja controversy dragged on for too long, but feels common sense prevailed in the end

England pacer James Anderson in an interview to Sky Sports has mentioned that the controversy involving Indian all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja and himself stretched on for too long during the recently concluded India tour.

"I felt it went too far - the whole process was too much. 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," Anderson said in the interview.

The seamer was charge with a Level 3 offence for allegedly “pushing” and “abusing” Jadeja on the way to the pavilion in the drawn first Test at Trent Bridge. Jadeja was countercharged by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) for a Level 2 breach. Judicial Commissioner Gordon Lewis, after the hearing, announced both the players involved “not guilty” owing to lack of conclusive evidence.

"It was probably one of the most stressful periods that I've been through whilst I've been in the England team. 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," the pacer referred to the two Tests he played before the verdict was announced on the ban.

Calls the spat with Jadeja as a chat

The Englishman was seen speaking to MS Dhoni and Ravindra Jadeja after the end of the first session on day 2, which was said to had turned abusive by the Indians. The Yorkshire cricketer has however termed the incident as a “chat”.

"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.”

Need to be aggressive to be successful

Controversy is not new to Anderson and he has been involved in plenty such incidents with different individuals and has also been at the receiving end of some sledging. Justifying his aggression on the field, the bowler feels that he has to get into the minds of batsmen to be successful.

"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," the 32-year-old added.