If your choice is lyon rashid or ali being picked as a spinner Lyon gets picked every time.If he is not getting wickets he keeps the run rate down more than our two
If your choices were those three, purely for their bowling, you would have two options:
1. Rashid, and accept that he would not bowl much in the first innings (unless Saqlain was around, in which case this is the only option) or
2. Pick another seamer.
And that is without taking into account that Lyon is a bowler who cannot bat, whereas Ali is an all round option and Rashid can certainly hold one (though I'll admit that he has not transferred his batting ability to tests as well as I had expected he might)
Seriously - Lyon briefly managed to elevate himself above clubbie status after the last ashes in Australia but has bowled lots of tripe ever since - if he was from any other country, he would have been dropped ages ago but Australia feel that they are weak in the spin department, so he has had a lot of reprieves. The economy issue is a fallacy - he was economical a few years back but now goes at 3.5ish with horribly defensive fields.
He will probably make the side in India. But he won't play for Australia again if he doesn't find a huge series from somewhere.