JOE ROOT is hoping practice makes perfect after being called up to England's Test squad for their forthcoming four-match tour of India.

The Yorkshire opener, 21-years-old, has benefitted from Andrew Strauss's retirement, and has been rewarded for some impressive performances for both his county and the England Lions team this summer.

Root joins county colleagues Jonny Bairstow and Tim Bresnan and Durham's fast bowler Graham Onions in a 16-man squad - minus Kevin Pietersen - for the tour, starting on October 25.

Yorkshire pair Gary Ballance and Azeem Rafiq and Durham's Scott Borthwick and Ben Stokes have also been named in England's 17-man Performance Programme squad for their month-long tour of India, which runs from mid-November.

Root, one of two uncapped players in the squad alongside Somerset batsman Nick Compton, scored 964 runs from 18 first-class matches in 2012, including two hundreds for Yorkshire and one for the Lions against the West Indies Test team in May.

His career best 222 not out came for Yorkshire against Hampshire in tricky batting conditions at Southampton in July.

Root toured India last year with the Performance Programme squad before going on tour to Bangladesh and Sri Lanka with the Lions after Christmas with the emphasis on playing spin bowling better.

It is an area in which England have struggled, particularly during their series defeat against Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates earlier this year.

"I'm obviously delighted," he said. "It's what you play the game for. Just to be in the squad is a fantastic feeling, and we'll see where we go from there.

"I got call off Geoff Miller (on Monday). It was very nice to receive a call from the chairman of selectors. Hopefully it can be the start of something. I'm really looking forward to being a part of it and getting to know the lads. I'll be working really hard to put a case forward for myself.

"It's going to be a challenge. A lot of teams struggle out there, but I think that experience last winter will definitely be useful and called upon going out there. Hopefully I can put it to good use if I get the opportunity."

Bairstow, meanwhile, has been named in the squad as the back-up wicketkeeper to Matt Prior.

England travel to Dubai for a three-day training camp between October 26-28, something which clashes with the latter stages of the Champions League t20 event in South Africa should Yorkshire get that far.

It has not been confirmed what will happen with Root's and Bairstow's availability should a clash arise.

The first Test is at Ahmedabad between November 15-19, the second at Mumbai between November 23-27, the third in Kolkata between December 5-9 and the fourth in Nagpur between December 13-17.

England's national selector Geoff Miller added: "Joe Root is a player who has been successful at every level from county cricket through to EPP (Performance Programme) and England Lions. He deserves this opportunity to step up to the next level and press his case for a place in the Test side. "

The Performance Programme tour will proceed a Lions tour to Australia in February. The squad for that will be selected towards the end of the training camp in India.