Owais Shah has moved ahead of Ravi Bopara in the battle to break into England's Test batting line-up.

With former captain Michael Vaughan out of the picture for at least the first half of this winter, the selectors had one big decision to make before naming a 15-man squad for December's two-match series in India — and today they went for Middlesex's Shah.

"Our decision to pick Owais was based on the fact he is an excellent player of spin who played a superb innings in India on his Test debut two years ago," said chief selector Geoff Miller.

"His inclusion will create real competition for places."

Shah's knock of 88 in Mumbai during 2006 should have been the start of something big. However, the 30-year-old has played only one more Test since.

As expected, Graeme Swann will be England's second spinner — with a chance of playing alongside Monty Panesar if the pitches in Ahmedabad and Mumbai are slow turners — while Matt Prior and Tim Ambrose are set to contest the wicketkeeping spot.

Essex gloveman James Foster can count himself unlucky not even to be in the Lions squad for a simultaneous tour of India but Middlesex's South Africa-raised batsman Dawid Malan is included in that second party, along with up-and-coming Kent pacemen Robbie Joseph and Amjad Khan.

Test 15: Pietersen (Hants, capt), Strauss (Middx), Cook (Essex), Bell (Warks), Collingwood (Durham), Shah (Middx), Flintoff (Lancs), Prior (Sussex, wkt), Ambrose (Warks, wkt), Swann (Notts), Broad (Notts), Sidebottom (Notts), Harmison (Durham), Anderson (Lancs), Panesar (Northants).

LIONS squad: Bresnan (Yorks), M Davies (Durham), S Davies (Worcs, wkt), Denly (Kent), Joseph (Kent), Key (Kent), Amjad Khan (Kent), Mahmood (Lancs), Malan (Middx), Morgan (Middx), Moore (Worcs), Plunkett (Durham), Rashid (Yorks), Rayner (Sussex), Trott (Warks).