Resuming day two of the third Test in Southampton the batsman added 111 runs to his overnight score as he passed 7,000 runs in the longest format of the game.
Along with Gary Ballance (156) and Jos Buttler (85), Bell took advantage of some wayward Indian bowling to make three figures for the first time this year, bringing his century up with a straight six off Ravindra Jadeja (2-153).
Bell had averaged just 14 in the series prior to the third Test and was happy with his return to form coinciding with a good day for the team.
"We've talked about getting first-innings runs and today's probably the first time we've done it properly, how the batting unit wants to do it, which is nice," he told Sky Sports.
"Every time you get a hundred for England it's special.
"It felt like it [the ball] held [in the pitch] a little bit more than yesterday. I wanted to be quite proactive and not just sit there. There was nice pace, bounce, so you can hit through the ball.
"I suppose as a senior player I've always tried to help out when I can, the more I can score big runs the better for the team."
Bell also praised England's bowling attack as they left India 25-1 in the final 14 overs of the day, James Anderson removing Shikhar Dhawan for six to give the hosts a lead of 544 runs, .
"Our target was two (wickets) tonight, and then if you get two first thing you can put some real pressure on India.
"The guys bowled really well, and if you keep banging away on a good length there's something there so it was a good sign for us."