Validating the simulation tools of the micromechanical behavior of materials under complex multi-axial loading conditions is challenging due to limited availability of experimental setups that can probe complex stress states. In this work, we perform in situ neutron diffraction experiments during shear loading to study the evolution of crystallographic texture and lattice strains that develop in different grain families. The experiments are conducted using a flat shear sample geometry loaded under uniaxial tension. The complex stress state in the gauge volume is estimated using an elasto-plastic finite element (FE) simulation. The FE simulation reveals the generation of non-negligible in-plane normal stress components together with the in-plane shear stress component. The simulation predicted macroscopic stresses are used to drive a Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) based crystal plasticity model, which predicts lattice strain evolution. In addition, the evolution of the diffraction intensity is simulated using the Taylor model. The proposed sample geometry and testing setup provides a good new alternative for in situ deformation tests under shear, while the predictions of both models match very well with the experimental results.