Was Sai Baba's spiritual greatness recognized by other holy men during his early days in Shirdi?

Yes, Sai Baba's profound spiritual nature was indeed recognized by other contemporary saints. Chapter 0 provides a few examples of this. A highly advanced saint named Janakidas spent a significant amount of time with Maharaj. More notably, the famous Gangagir Baba had an immediate and powerful recognition of Maharaj's divinity. Upon seeing Maharaj for the first time, while he was carrying two earthen pots of water, Gangagir Baba was moved to exclaim to the nearby villagers, "When did this form come here? This is purely a gem. His worth is very great." This spontaneous declaration from a respected holy man serves as strong evidence that Maharaj's exceptional spiritual status was apparent to his peers.