The incident happened in the ninth over of South Africa's second innings when Sreesanth was fielding at the long leg area at Wynberg end. He immediately walked up to the umpire Simon Taufel and had a word.
Laxman, who joined the action after Gambhir's departure, struck three delectable boundaries, before returning to the pavillion in a tragic manner.
Ironically, a dropped chance of Tendulkar by Harris led to Laxman's run out.
Tendulkar went down the track and smashed the ball straight to Harris who just about managed to get some hand on it. Laxman was outside his crease and the ball fell on the stumps at his end.
The Indians added 95 runs in 32 overs in an engrossing two and half hour pre-lunch session.
Tendulkar brought about his century with a six off Morne Morkel shortly after the lunch break in an absorbing post lunch session which saw Dale Steyn produce a fiery spell to dismiss Cheteswar Pujara (2) and captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni (0) in the span of 9 deliveries.
The young Pujara was dismissed in the very first over after lunch, trapped leg before wicket to a gem of a delivery from Steyn to reduce India to 237 for five.
Tendulkar then completed his century by hooking Morne Morkel for a six. It was a mistimed shot and the ball took the top edge and flew for a six.
Steyn struck again in his next over by getting rid of captain Dhoni with a ball which swung away sharply. the Indian captain tried to steer the ball but only succeeded in edging it to Ashwell Prince at third slip.
Harbhajan tried to play a few attacking shots to ease the pressure on the Indians who suddenly found themselves in trouble with the two quick dismissals.
Harbhajan had a huge slice of luck when a Steyn express delivery clipped the edge of the off-stump but the bails did not fall much to the disbelief of the South Africans.
The fiesty spinner celebrated the reprieve by clobbering Lonwabo Tsotsobe, who replaced Morkel from the pavilion end, for a huge six in the square leg region. He then cracked him for a boundary.
Tendulkar and Harbhajan have stitched an unfinished 69-run partnership for the seventh wicket to take India beyond the 300-run mark and inch closer to the South African total.
Harbhajan Singh (40) perished immediately after the tea break as he went for the short-arm pull to a short-pitched ball from Steyn but could not connect well and substitute JP Duminy ran in from deep square-leg take the catch.
It brought an end to the vital 76-run seventh wicket partnership which pulled India out of a difficult situation.
Morkel then got the prized scalp of Tendulkar with a superb delivery which dislodged the off stump. Tendulkar's knock of 146 came off 314 balls and was laced with 17 boundaries and two sixes.
Ishant Sharma could not survive for long as he tried to fend a short-pitched ball and offered a simple catch to Boucher to give Steyn his fifth wicket of the innings.
Zaheer Khan and S Sreesanth then added 14 runs to help India overhaul South Africa's first innings total and gain a slender two-run lead.
In their second essay, South Africa went off to a good start but off-spinner Harbhajan dealt two quick blows late in the evening to hand India a slight advantage.
Smith was the first one to go after he was wrapped on the back foot by a Harbhajan delivery which pitched on the middle and leg and then straightened up in the 14th over.
Harbhajan struck again on the second ball of his next over, removing night watchman Harris for a naught. Harris was completely deceived by Harbhajan's offbreak which landed outside the off stump and turned square as the batsman didn't offer a shot.
Soon senior Indian players, including Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman, and Mahendra Singh Dhoni got into a huddle and discussed the matter.
Dhoni was seen smiling and having a light discussion with Sreesanth, while the umpires Taufel and Ian Gould spoke over the walkie-talkie. Taufel also had a word with Dhoni.
However, the match was soon resumed without much delay.
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