DUBAI, Dec 15 (IANS/CMC): Veteran West Indies left-hander Shiv Chanderpaul will enter the opening Test against South Africa starting here Wednesday, with his top three spot in the world batting rankings under threat.

In the latest rankings released Sunday, Chanderpaul remained third but had Australian shot-maker David Warner breathing down his neck in the fourth spot, reports CMC.

Warner hammered a century in each innings of the recent Adelaide Test against India, to jump two places up from sixth and is now only seven ratings points behind Chanderpaul, with 880 points.

And with the second Test against India in Brisbane also starting Wednesday, Warner will have the opportunity to further close the gap on Chanderpaul.

Likewise, the West Indies’ three-Test series against the Proteas presents Chanderpaul with an excellent opportunity to make movement up the rankings.

The 40-year-old, a veteran of 158 Tests, is a single rating point behind South African stroke-maker A.B. de Villiers who will also be involved in the series against the Caribbean side.

Chanderpaul is the only West Indies player in the top ten.