PHOTOS: Trott, Bell ensure England historic triumph in India

A century stand and determined batting by England's Jonathan Trott and Ian Bell helped England draw the fourth and final Test against India in Nagpur and clinch the series 2-1.

It took England 28 long years to break the jinx after dominant performances in the second and third Tests.

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The day belonged to centurions Trott (143) and Bell's unbeaten 116, even as the story remained the same for a hapless India, who toiled without much success before the match was called off on the final day with England scoring 352 for 4.

Earlier, Trott and Bell played a lot more positively than they had on Sunday. Resuming at an overnight score of 161 for 3, the duo frustrated the home bowlers.

They started the day by driving Ishant Sharma for boundaries when the loose ball was in sight, and ensured the scoreboard was kept ticking by punishing any bowler who wavered in line or length.

Their positive approach saw the innings' 200 coming 50 minutes into the day's play in the 94th over.

Bell was more positive of the two. He was initially the more aggressive in the fourth-wicket stand.

The first hour of play produced 45 runs in 18 overs as the two batsmen looked absolutely at ease against all Indian bowlers.

Unbeaten on 66 and 24 respectively on Sunday, Trott and Bell moved on to 106 and 61 by lunch, and continued to grind the toothless Indian attack in the second session.

With each passing over the body language of the Indian players kept dropping. But the England batsmen went about accumulating the runs without much fuss.

Trott, who found form late in the series, finally scored his century well into the second session.

Trott and Bell's perseverance saw them go past the 191-run stand between Peter Parfitt and Barry Knight in 1964 at Kanpur and the 206 stand between Ken Barrington and Ted Dexter in 1961 at the same Green Park ground -- the second and third highest for the wicket by England in India.

India had one clear chance of breaking the partnership before it actually ended, but Virender Sehwag, at slips, failed to latch on to an offer from Bell late in the second session.

The batsmen continued to frustrate the Indian bowlers who bowled without a plan.

And while the bowlers struggled to make a breakthrough, the duo slowly crept towards the record fourth wicket partnership of 214 between Andrew Strauss and Paul Collingwood, set at Chennai on their previous visit to India in 2008, before falling short by six runs.

Their 208-run fourth-wicket stand ended when 31-year-old Trott was finally dismissed for 143 (18 fours), caught at leg slip by Virat Kohli when he turned off R Ashwin straight to the fielder, after a marathon stay of 406 minutes.

For India, Ravichandran Ashwin took two for 99 while Pragyan Ojha and Ravindra Jadeja picked up a wicket apiece.

Debutant Root, who had struck a confident 73 in the first innings, joined Bell at the crease and continued in the same vein.

Bell on-drove Ashwin to reach his 35th Test 50 in 177 minutes and 130 balls, which included nine fluently struck fours.

Growing in confidence, he hit a six, too, besides 13 fours as he completed his hundred with a three to long leg in 368 minutes and off 293 balls.