Yes I have an Airtel Prepaid. 6 months ago when i bought an apple watch, e-Sim wasn't supported by Airtel prepaid. So looking into your solution, you are saying that E-Sim and physical sim cannot work?
What if someone has a physical sim and uses e-Sim with his apple watch? In that case both sims work. iPhone XS Max uses the same E-Sim as apple watch.
This is confusing. Well, this article says that your existing physical will be "converted" into esim, meaning the physical sim will be unusable:
Apple iPhone XS, XS Max and XR: How to set up Airtel dual-eSIM | Gadgets Now
This article says that Airtel has stopped registration of new esim's for some time (oct 31 post): How to enable eSIM and Dual SIM on iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max and iPhone XR on Airtel in India
I did not find any information of using esim on iphones on official Airtel site. You should contact customer care before trying anything to avoid unnecessary "sim deactivation" hassles.