Shah is regarded as a fine player of spin bowling

He becomes the third England A player touring the Caribbean to be drafted in after Essex opener Alastair Cook and Lancashire seamer James Anderson.

Shah was vying with Middlesex colleague Ed Joyce and Worcestershire's Vikram Solanki, who is captaining the A side.

The 27-year-old was prolific in the County Championship last summer, making 1,650 runs at an average of 63.46.

But he has failed to sparkle in his one-day career for England, scoring 283 runs in 15 games, although he is regarded as a fine player of spin bowling.

He will link up with the rest of the squad in Nagpur, where the first of three Tests starts on Wednesday.

It was always going to be tough, and it's getting tougher by the day, but I'm sure the lads will respond David Graveney

The tourists will go into that match on the back of a defeat in their final warm-up match on Saturday and with doubts over several key players.

Captain Michael Vaughan is struggling with a knee problem, Kevin Pietersen and Paul Collingwood have sore backs, and Simon Jones has come down with a stomach bug.

Chairman of selectors David Graveney admits the build-up has been far from ideal but has backed the players to deliver.

"Preparations have been wrecked," he told BBC Radio Five Live's Sportsweek programme.