NEW DELHI: Former India cricketer and commentator Aakash Chopra voiced his frustration over the poor turnout for India's opening Asia Cup match against UAE on Wednesday, noting that even Team India's return to white-ball cricket couldn't draw fans to the stands.

"We always say this, don't we - that if you make India play even on the moon, people will turn up wearing the blue jersey to watch them. And here, the match was happening in Dubai, with the Indian team out there in blue after such a long time. And this isn't some random bilateral series - it's the Asia Cup," Chopra said on his YouTube channel.

"Other than India–Pakistan, what bigger draw could there be? India drives the economy of cricket. Wherever India goes, whenever they play, whoever they play, especially after a long gap, people should come. But here, people didn't," he added.

Chopra felt that the Asia Cup hasn't generated enough excitement or anticipation among fans

"This tournament hasn't created the buzz. For whatever reason - there just isn't enough talk about it," he explained, adding that while the Asia Cup remains a valuable event, the hype was missing this time.

He believed fans may be experiencing cricket fatigue, and unlike ICC events such as the Champions Trophy - which drew crowds from across the globe - most other competitions in the region struggle to attract spectators.

"We've seen it before with ILT20 and with other matches in the UAE. Maybe it's an overdose. Champions Trophy was an exception because it was an ICC event. People flew in from everywhere. But otherwise, people just don't turn up here," he observed.

"If the UAE wants to establish itself as a legitimate cricket destination, they'll need to find a way to make locals show up. Because if people don't turn up for India's matches, that's a big concern," he said.