There are lots of places international eSIM's are a pain. Either they only connect to a tiny mobile network that doesn't even cover some cities, or they require you to get some "mobile telephone licence" before they work, or speeds are 0.1 Mbps only, or they just won't work because the esim provider never tested them in Uzbekistan etc.

Buying a local SIM at the airport is equally a pain, but by combining both techniques you have more chance of a working connection.